Among the Waves: A Desperate Journey
by Yoshikuni
Summary: He placed his wrist to Sakura’s mouth and allowed his blood to flow past her lips. Soon her heart would stop beating, forever. AU Vampire Fic, Lemon. SasuSaku, other pairings implied.
1. The Story Begins

* * *

Welcome to my new story Among the Waves: A Desperate Journey. This story is going to be more serious than my other ones. It's AU and it's a pirate story, only with vampires thrown in. I'm almost done reading the book Eclipse and it gave me inspiration to write a vampire story so here it is! I can't promise fast updates for this story, but I'll try to update as soon as possible.

WARNING: I'm making this story M for possible future content and language. 

PREFACE

A mysterious curse has the once human members of Captain Orochimaru's crew turned into immortal beings with supernatural powers, but these powers seem to be the curse themselves.

There is a legend about a secret underground cavern where a very powerful witch named Mira left her entire fortune. The thing that makes this cavern full of riches more worth finding than any other is a medallion that is said to have the power to grant the wearers greatest desire, including lifting curses and making the immortal human again.

Orochimaru isn't the only one after this mysterious treasure; humans from far and wide are after it because one of the most powerful human emotions: greed which can prove to be a powerful motivator when their up against beings with supernatural powers and even though they don't know it, vampires and demons too.

The Uchiha brothers might be the two most motivated to get the medallion. Both vampires who, like the rest of the vamps and demons in their crew, long to be human.

With no leads, maps or other information that has proved to be legitimate the playing field is, in a sense, level if you don't count the fact that some of the competition can't die and others drink blood and have super strength. It's turned into a deadly race between three very dangerous and in some cases desperate entities.

* * *

Sunlight flittered through the large window on the East wall and illuminated the large cream colored room. A woman sat on a padded stool at a vanity with a three way mirror. Her long black hair that reached her lower back flowed around her as she brushed it. Her white silk robe over her nightgown made her look like an angel as the light hit her. Her bright blue eyes looked at her reflection in the mirror and she smiled as she counted down the hours until she would see _him_ again.

Orochimaru opened his eyes and glared at the wooden wall before him. Every time he closed his eyes her face would haunt him. She was always there, reminding him of his failure, his curse, and all the things he lost. She was taunting him, torturing him by making him unable to forget. She was haunting him from beyond the grave for what he had done. His memories of her were still as fresh as if they had happened yesterday; it was part of his curse he assumed and soon, he thought, it would all be over. He would have his revenge, he would have it all and more, he would have everything he ever wanted and _she _wouldn't be able to take it away from him and if anyone stood in his way, they would be eliminated.

* * *

Moans and groans of the sick and dying rang out from the clinic, drowning out all other noises. Patients were laid out on cots all trough out the room in neat rows. Doctors scurried from patient to patient doing all they could with the shortage of supplies and the multitude of sick. Most of them were beyond help and those were the ones in the worst pain. Their cries of anguish echoed off the walls. As cruel as it may seem they were ignored, since they were beyond help all the available supplies, which was few, and attention went to the ones who still had a hope of being saved.

Sakura walked up to the cot in the far corner of the room. There had been a Malaria outbreak and the occupant of the cot was one of the many unlucky victims of it. The man was sweating profusely and his fever was sky rocketing. Sakura gave him some quinine, which was toxic to the protozoan that caused the disease and moved on to the next patient.

Sakura's father always told her she didn't have to work at the clinic that he owned and operated but she was always there, eager to learn and help out those in need. It didn't surprise him; she had always been a giving person, always thinking of others before herself. She had taken care of him after her mother had died of Malaria, pulled him out of his depression and reminded him that life was worth living. He supposed that was her reason, her drive for becoming a doctor, so she could save people unlike when she had been unable to save her mother. Now that her father had died a year ago Sakura took over the clinic. She was only eighteen but she was the best doctor for miles around and with the money she earned by her occupation she was able to keep the house her father built and pay for necessities every week.

She was quite beautiful with her mother's pink hair and her father's stunning green eyes. She had lots of suitors, some of them quite wealthy. All of them wanting to marry her and whisk her away from what they called "the troubles of mere commoners". That was exactly the reason she never took interest in any of them. They all wanted to take her away and make her a house wife when she was perfectly happy with her life of helping others. That, and the fact that none of them were _the one._ Silly as it may seem she believed that everyone had a special someone, like her mother had her father, and none of the guys around here were hers.

Soon she was exhausted and Shizune, another doctor at the clinic, insisted that she stop for the day. They had become like her family and they were all aware that if she wasn't pushed she would stay and work until she passed out.

It was dark out; it would have been pitch black if it weren't for the lantern she carried and the lights from the houses she passed and even with those the darkness was almost suffocating.

Noises were coming from the barge not too far off. She supposed that some ships carrying goods had come in. Little did she know how wrong she was, it was a ship, two to be exact but they weren't here to drop off goods. Their intentions were far more dangerous and she was about to be put in the middle of it.

* * *

Sasuke looked out across the sea. His vision was perfect, even in the dark due to him being a vampire. He could see it clearly, Orochimaru's ship. They were they reason him and his other 'living dead' crew members were here. They were going to stop at another port further along to feed but when his Captain spotted Orochimaru's ship they followed. Orochimaru rarely ever stopped on land, his crew never ate or slept, they didn't have to, it was part of their curse. So if he was stopping now that meant that he had found something interesting or something in this town was worth stopping for and since they were looking for the same thing, anything that was interesting to Orochimaru's crew was interesting to his as well.

"Alright men, I want you all to fan out and follow Orochimaru and his crew. Stay at a safe distance but don't lose track of them. If any of you see something suspicious or important report it to me right away." Kakashi, the captain of the ship _crimson flood_, ordered his men.

"Hai!" was the resounding response from the vampires as they began to walk on shore.

"Sasuke, I want you and Naruto to keep watch of the roads around this port incase they spot us and try to escape back to their ship." Kakashi said turning his attention to the raven haired male leaning on the ships railing.

"I can handle that by myself; do I really have to take the dobe with me?" Sasuke asked with a hint of irritation.

"Hey I heard that you Teme!" Naruto yelled running up to Kakashi and Sasuke.

"Yes you have to take him, it will be easier with two of you and I don't want to have to put up with him trying to be quiet while we watch Orochimaru." Kakashi answered ignoring Naruto's outburst.

"Hey what's that supposed to mean?!"

"It means, dobe, that you seem to have a problem being quiet because you can't shut your mouth when you need to." Sasuke remarked looking as indifferent as always.

"Why you- "

"You guys cut it out before I pierce you both through the heart with my katana!" Kakashi exclaimed.

"Whatever."

"Hn."

* * *

Sakura continued to walk down the road that led to her house. The road was mostly abandoned at this time of night except for a few drunkards who has stumbled out of a bar not too far away. She couldn't help the feeling that she was being followed. She picked up her pace and tried to think about other things. Then she saw them, four men following about twenty feet behind her. When her pace quickened theirs did too.

Sakura started to panic, they were slowly closing in on her so she decided to try and lose them in an alley to her left.

When she turned the corner into the alley and was out of their immediate eye site she started to jog which turned into a full out run as she heard their thudding footsteps getting closer.

Sakura continued to run until she hit something hard: a brick wall. It was a dead end. Sakura cried out in fear as the men approached, blocking out her only escape.

* * *

Dun dun dun! Don't you just love cliff hangers? I sure do! I hoped you liked it. 

R&R 


	2. Vampire to the rescue!

Okay here's chapter two! 

I do NOT own Naruto….yet 

WARNING: This story is rated M for language and possible future content. Also there is an attempted rape scene so if that bothers you I suggest you skip that part. 

* * *

Sasuke and Naruto jumped from roof top to roof top checking for any signs of Orochimaru's crew. Their movements were swift and graceful as they flew through the air at great speeds. Even when they landed on the next roof their footsteps were so light that they couldn't be heard by the human ear.

"Hey teme did you hear that?"

"Yeah, there's something coming from over there too."

Naruto shot Sasuke a look and they both nodded and headed off in opposite directions.

* * *

Sakura backed up until her back was pushed up against the wall as close as she could get. The men continued to walk forward closing in on her, forming a semi circle.

"Hey girlie we're not gonna hurt ya!"

The other three guys burst out laughing at their friends comment.

"Yeah cutie, we only wanna have some fun!"

Sakura's hands started to shake as she listened to their comments and the lantern she was carrying clattered to the ground and shattered into pieces.

"Stay back! I'm warning you!"

"Oh really? Hear that boys she wants us to stay back!" The man who appeared to be the leader laughed manically as he advanced toward Sakura.

The man grabbed Sakura by the arms and crushed his lips on hers. Then he let her go and threw her to one of the men behind him.

"Let me go!" Sakura screamed as she tried to squirm her way out of the mans tight hold.

"Now why would we do that when we're having so much fun?" The man who was holding her asked while he ripped open the shawl she was wearing.

"Stop it!" Sakura cried as she tried hitting the man without much success.

"She's a feisty one, I like that." The man smirked as he went to throw her to the man next to him.

The man pulled Sakura to him as he started to slide his hand up and down her thigh over her dress.

"That dress is in the way, I think I'll move it."

* * *

Sasuke followed the sound to a back alley where he found four guys pushing around a young girl as she struggled to get free. The men weren't from Orochimaru's crew. Sasuke started to turn around to leave when he heard the girl cry out again.

"Let me go!"

Her voice was so filled with panic and fear that it made his steps falter. Something inside him was nagging at him to turn around and help the girl.

'_She means nothing to me, I don't even know her. Why do I want to go down there and murder those bastards and tear them limb from limb? It's not my problem. Maybe I'm just getting too hungry again. They would be a pretty easy meal…' _

Sakura started to cry as the man lifted up her dress up past her thigh. He pushed her against the brick wall and whispered in her ear.

"Don't worry hun, you'll enjoy yourself. I'm actually quite good at this." The man smirked as he started to kiss his way down her neck.

Sakura closed her eyes and waited for it to be over. When nothing happened she opened her eyes and saw that she was no longer being pinned to the wall and the man who was holding her was now thrown against the wall to her left leaving a big bloody streak from where his body hit the wall to where he was slumped on the ground. The other three men screamed in fear as they ran from the tall black figure in front of her.

The figure rushed forward with inhuman speed and killed them all with a Katana that he pulled out of a sheath at his side. Blood splattered everywhere as the men's now lifeless bodies fell to the ground.

* * *

Naruto continued to jump from roof to roof again in order to find Sasuke. The noise he heard turned out to be nothing more than a small animal, hardly worth his time.

There it was, the sent of blood. It was fresh and there was lots of it. Knowing Sasuke, if he followed the sent of freshly spilt blood he would find him. The only part that upset Naruto was the fact that he had apparently missed out on a good fight.

* * *

Sasuke sheathed his katana and licked his lips. It had been years since he tasted human blood and it wasn't as good as he remembered it to be. Perhaps it was because of whose blood it was, but that didn't matter much now.

He turned around to face the girl whom he saved. She was slumped against the wall holding her knees to her chest. She was afraid. Good, she should be afraid of him.

Sakura looked up to the man who had saved her. In the light of the moon she could see his beautiful face. His raven black hair contrasted greatly with his ghostly white skin. His eyes were a deep onyx color; they were mesmerizing and seemed to be pulling her in. He had high cheek bones and he still looked gorgeous even though he was covered in blood. Then she noticed two teeth that were longer than they should be, really sharp too: fangs.

'_H-he's a vampire!' _

The sudden realization was a shock, she never believed in those sorts of things, but for some reason it didn't scare her like it should.

She was all alone, in an alley with a vampire covered in blood and she wasn't scared? For some reason she couldn't force herself to feel the fear that she should. For whatever reason she only felt safe and curious.

Sasuke stared the girl up and down as she stood up. Her hair was a strange color, it was pink and her eye's were a jade color. She had pale skin, though not as pale as his, she was still pale for a human. Her dress was ripped in places and her hair was a mess but he couldn't help but be strangely attracted to her. Her face had some blood splattered on it and he felt the urge to walk over and lick it off.

'_I shouldn't be feeling this way. She's only a worthless human but I cant seem to leave…it's like she has some sort of hold on me.' _

"Thank you." Her voice broke the silence and brought him back from his thoughts.

"Hey teme what are you…"

'_Naruto.' _

* * *

I know its shorter but I'll try to make the next one longer. 

What will Naruto do now that he found Sasuke? Will he try to hurt Sakura? If he does will Sasuke stop him? Tune in next time and find out! 

R&R


	3. Willing or Not

Okay here's chapter three. I'm introducing my OC and Itachi makes his appearance in this one. Also Sasuke and Itachi aren't the only Uchiha's alive since Itachi didn't do the whole clan massacre thing. 

* * *

"Talking"

_'Thinking'_

* * *

"Hey teme, who's this?" Naruto asked as he jumped gracefully down from the three story building.

"No one." Sasuke answered glaring at Naruto wishing he'd go away.

'_Heh, she looks like some one to me. Hehe she's pretty hot too.' _

Sasuke glared at Naruto after reading his thoughts.

"She's no one and keep it in your pants dobe." Sasuke replied still glaring.

'_Ohhh touchy! For some one who's no one you sure seem to like her.' _Naruto thought with a smirk coming to his face at his smart sounding comment.

"You don't know what you're talking about dobe." Sasuke replied, both men almost completely forgetting Sakura's presence.

'_You know denial is the first step to admitting you have a problem, and believe me women can be a BIG problem.' _Naruto thought as he took another glance at Sakura who looked utterly confused.

'_The blond one's not even saying anything and the other one is answering him as if he was talking…this is insane.' _

Sasuke looked over and saw that Naruto was right, she looked totally and utterly confused but as hard as he tried he couldn't hear what she was thinking. Him being blocked out and not being able to hear her thoughts caused his eye brows to draw together a little and a frown to settle on his face.

'_You can't read her thoughts can you?' _Naruto asked with a smirk as he saw the frown on Sasuke's face.

"Hn." Sasuke answered, a mask of indifference covering his features again.

* * *

'_Well that was a giant waste of time.' _Kakashi thought as he boarded his ship. _'All they did was stop at a brothel; I should have known that Orochimaru wouldn't be stupid enough to lead us to something important.' _

Kakashi sighed as he watched his crew prepare to leave again. Nothing seemed to be going his way lately, not that luck was something that he deserved. He was a wretched creature who was damned to the pits of hell if he should ever lose his immortal life. He often wondered what it would be like to be human again. He wasn't always a vampire but it seemed like he was never anything else. His memories of his human life were few and seemed to be ages ago.

Small arms wrapped around his waist and a warm figure was pushed up against his back. He never knew how she was always so warm but that was one of the things he loved about her. He felt her head rest between his shoulder blades and her lips lightly kiss him there through the fabric of his shirt.

"We'll get a lead soon, don't worry about it." The figure murmured against him as she hugged him around his waist.

Kakashi moved her so she was standing in front of him and hugged her to him.

"I wish I had your faith Kaori" Kakashi replied running his hands up and down her back.

Kaori was shorter than Kakashi, her head only coming to his shoulder. Her black hair with blue streaks was tied up in its usual pony tail. Her blue streaked bangs were long and hung in front of her deep blue eyes.

"Don't be so pessimistic, that's Sasuke's job." Kaori said smiling as she looked up at Kakashi.

"I suppose your right." Kakashi chuckled softly as he ran his hands up and down her arms which her form fitting black tank top left bare.

"Speaking of Sasuke, where is my cousin?" Kaori asked as she leaned her head against Kakashi's chest.

"He's out with Naruto, they should be back soon." Kakashi replied.

"You sent those two out…_together_?" Kaori asked surprised.

"They should be fine, they haven't tried to kill each other…..lately."

* * *

Itachi walked up the gang plank and on to the ship and sighed. They weren't getting any closer to finding what they were looking for and he was becoming restless. Normally with him being a vampire he had all the time in the world to do things, but this was not one of them. They weren't the only ones looking for that cavern and knowing that some one else may get to it before he did made him feel something he was not used to feeling: worried.

In Itachi's mind worry was a useless human emotion. It served no helpful purpose, only to blur judgment and cause people to react un-rationally. There was no point in worrying, if you could change something then change it but if you couldn't there's nothing you can do about it anyway. But despite all his logic and theories he still felt it and it was slowly driving him insane. Hopefully his little brother and his idiotic friend would be back soon, that way he wouldn't be able to concentrate on his worry with all the noise and distractions they would bring.

* * *

Sakura looked at the two men with confusion written across her face. The blond one slowly walked toward her and held out his hand.

"Hi, I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" he exclaimed rather loudly with a smile on his face.

"Sakura Haruno" Sakura extended her hand and he shook it lightly.

"Nice to meet you Miss Sakura, this ugly teme over here is Sasuke." Naruto said pointing toward him.

Sakura looked at Sasuke and her heart rate quickened. He was looking intently at her and she knew she was blushing.

Sasuke heard the blood start to pulse more quickly through her veins at his stare. For some reason it gave him a level of satisfaction that he had that effect on her, not that he didn't with most other girls but some how she was different.

'_What are we going to do with her now teme? She obviously has figured out you're a vampire and she probably suspects me of being one too. You know the rules, no one is allowed to know things like us exist.' _

"I know the rules dobe." Sasuke said in a low tone so only Naruto's sensitive ears would be able to hear it, his mouth forming words so fast that Sakura didn't even see it move.

'_Maybe we should kill her.' _Naruto thought even though he had no intention of doing so, he just wanted to see Sasuke's reaction.

"No." the word was out of Sasuke's mouth so fast that he didn't know what he was saying.

Naruto smirked '_then we'll just have to take her with us, willing or not.' _

* * *

I know its not too long but I thought it would be a good place to stop . You know how I love cliff hangers! 

R&R and tell me what you thought. 

-Anna


	4. Silent Goodbyes and New Beginings

Alright here's chapter 4! I should be updating my story 'Road Trip!' but I had inspiration for this one although 'Road Trip' is my next priority after this chapter. 

I do NOT own Naruto…if I did …lets just say some things would be different. 

* * *

"Talking"

_'Thinking'_

**Flashback Markers or Notes**

Flashback and Authors Note

* * *

The cold night air whooshed past Sakura at an alarmingly fast rate. The air gave a sort of tingling sensation, like hundreds of little needles were poking her in the face. Sakura buried her face between Sasuke's shoulder blades while he carried her. His strong hands that were holding her thighs to make sure she didn't fall off his back sent a tingling sensation through her body but unlike the wind she enjoyed it. Sasuke's body was cool but for some reason while she was pressed against him she felt unusually warm.

He was graceful as he jumped from building to building, when they landed on one she could never tell. Naruto was jumping just as silently beside them. He would look over at her and give a reassuring smile every once in a while when he noticed she looked intimidated at the rate they were flying through the air.

'_I can't believe I agreed to this…I wonder what life aboard a ship is going to be like...a ship full of vampires.' _

**Flashback **

**Sakura Pov. **

"You're coming with us." The one called Naruto stated as if telling me I had no choice in the matter. 

"What?" I replied, where was I going with them? 

"You're coming with us to our ship, your going to travel with us!" Naruto replied with a smile showing a set of fangs that weren't quite as long as Sasuke's, they looked more like normal teeth but much more sharp. 

"Huh?" was my response; I couldn't seem to grasp what he was saying. 

Naruto rolled his eyes and tried again. "You've probably figured out what teme over there is, right?" 

"A vampire?" I asked half afraid that he'd say yes and the other half of me not caring if he was the boogie man or a blood sucking creature. 

"Yeah, and you probably think I'm one too, right?" He asked. 

"Are you?" I asked more confidently losing my fear. 

Naruto smirked and then answered me. "Not quite, I'm much worse." 

'_Much worse than a vampire? Is there such a thing?' _

"I'm half vampire and half demon." He said smiling again flashing his fangs. "The reason you have to come with us is because you know our secret now and of course we can't leave you here to alert any vampire hunters in the area, now can we?" 

"I guess not, but I can't come with you." I said thinking of my father's clinic that I now ran; I couldn't leave all those people. 

"Its not an option." Sasuke said butting in. 

"Its either you come with us or we kill you, simple as that." Naruto said. "I suggested killing you earlier but teme over here didn't seem to like that idea, so your coming with us and if you refuse we'll have no choice but to kill you, even though we don't want to." 

'_This can't be happening to me!' _

"So what's your choice?" Sasuke said growing impatient. 

'_Maybe it won't be so bad…traveling with them. I mean they can't be too bad or they would have killed me and drank my blood by now, but what about the clinic…maybe I can have Shizune take care of it until I come back…if I come back.' _

"I'll go with you, but I have to do something before we go." 

"And what would that be?" Sasuke asked one of his hands still on the hilt of his katana, he seemed tense. 

"I need to write a note, I'll be quick I promise. I just need to go back to my house really quick. It's right down the street." I replied hoping they'd let me go. 

Sasuke and Naruto looked at each other and noddedlike they were talking with out actually speaking. 

"Hop on." Sasuke stated as he turned around and crouched down. "We'll go quicker this way, we don't have time to waste." 

Hesitantly I walked forward and climbed on his back. His hands came to hold my thighs to keep me from falling off and with a giant leap we were on our way. 

**End Flashback **

* * *

Sasuke stopped in front of Sakura's house and she reluctantly climbed off his back and went inside to write her note. She grabbed a piece of paper, some ink, and a quill and took it to the desk by her window.

**Dear Shizune, **

**Something has come up and I'm leaving town for a while. I'm leaving the clinic in your hands; I know you'll go a great job with running it. Please tell everyone I'll miss them and I love them. **

**Until we meet again, **

**Sakura **

'_There, short simple and to the point.' _

Sakura took the note and stuck it on her door where Shizune would see it and walked back to the two vampires in her yard.

* * *

Kabuto's eyes scanned the brothel. Members of his crew were all over the place searching for a girl…or two, who would settle their appetites for the night. He had told Orochimaru that something didn't seem right, he couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched but his Capitan just brushed him off saying that he needed to get laid and that it would take his mind off of things. In fact Orochimaru looked like he was planning on doing the same, at the moment he was headed up stairs with three women. His captain always did have more than two, not that Kabuto ever voiced his oppinion but he always thought his captain was homosexual, or at least bisexual, he didn't know why he thought that…it was just some sort of …feeling that he got from him.

Two girls approached Kabuto, swaying their hips seductively. Now that he thought about it maybe his captain was right, he needed to get laid.

* * *

Sakura was on Sasuke's back again and they were approaching a rather large ship. With another leap they landed on the ships deck and Sasuke shifted so she could climb off his back again. A man with silver hair and a black bandana tied around his head like a headband approached them, the bandana slanted to cover one of his eyes.

"Its about time you two got back, we thought you had gotten into another death match." The man said smiling.

"Hn."

"Heh, we controlled ourselves. It _is_ possible you know." Naruto replied.

"Who is this?" The man said looking at Sakura and raising a brow.

"This is Sakura, we ran into her and Sasuke teme didn't want to kill her so we brought her back with us." Naruto said stepping beside Sakura so she was between him and Sasuke.

"You brought a human on my ship?" the man asked.

"We thought she wouldn't be too much trouble, and if she turns out to be we can always have her as a snack." Naruto replied.

"Oh let her stay Kakashi, she doesn't look like trouble." A woman said coming to stand beside him. "Plus if my cousin didn't want to kill her she must be something special."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at his cousin who only smirked in response.

"Kaori's right, she can stay…for now. She can share Hinata's room, Naruto take her there and let her get settled in. Sasuke, tell Shikamaru to resume our original course."

* * *

Okay that's it for chapter 4, I know its short and I'm sorry! 

R&R, suggestions and opinions are always welcome. 

-Anna


	5. Meeting Hinata San

Sorry I haven't been updating. I've been…distracted with some problems lately. Well Merry Christmas if you celebrate it. This is my present to you sooooo…enjoy! 

* * *

Naruto led Sakura through the hallways at the back of the _Crimson Flood. _It was an extraordinary ship. Despite being made entirely of wood it was magnificent with its details that were carved into mahogany walls. Sakura ran her fingers over the smooth surface of the wood until Naruto finally stopped in front of a door and knocked on it.

"Come in." a soft voice called from inside.

Naruto opened the door to reveal a dark haired woman sitting on her bed. Her dark hair had a purple tint to it, her skin was pale white like the rest of the vampires Sakura had met and she had beautiful light lavender eyes.

"Hello Naruto kun!" the woman smiled motioning for them to enter the room completely.

"Hinata chan" Naruto walked through the door and pulled Sakura in front of him. "This is Haruno Sakura she's going to be staying on the ship with us and Kakashi wanted to know if you'd mind sharing a room with her."

Hinata stared at Sakura for a moment, her face never changing from her soft expression, before returning her gaze back to Naruto. "Tell Kakashi that I'm happy to have the company." She smiled gently.

"Thanks Hinata chan." Naruto smiled back. "I wish I could stay and visit with you for a while but I'm afraid that I have to get back on deck and help out."

"I understand, I'll talk to you later." Hinata said standing up. Naruto headed out the door and Hinata walked over to Sakura and held out her hand. "Hyuuga Hinata."

"Haruno Sakura." She replied shaking her hand. Hinata's hands were cold like Sasuke's and very smooth.

"Do you have any belongings with you?" Hinata asked looking behind Sakura for a trunk or suitcase of some sort.

"No, I didn't have the time to grab anything." Sakura said looking around the room.

"Well then you can borrow my clothes until we get you some of your own." said Hinata walking over to a large wooden wardrobe at the far end of her room. "Here you can change into this for tonight and I'll give you another dress for you to wear tomorrow." Hinata held up a long, thick strapped, white silk nightgown. Sakura looked down at what she was wearing and blushed. Her dress was plain, far from the outfits she saw in Hinata's wardrobe and it was dirty and torn from her scuffle in the alley. Remembering what those men would have done to her if Sasuke wouldn't have interfered caused her to shudder. Hinata sensing that something wasn't right interrupted Sakura's thoughts by talking. "Here, you can go to the bathroom and try it on." She said pointing to a plain door to their left.

Sakura took the nightgown and smiled, thankful for the distraction.

* * *

Orochimaru stared at the wooden ceiling of the room. Soon he would wake up his three lovely companions for another go, the fourth one that night. No matter how many times he was with any of his various women he was never satisfied, he always wanted more. He resented the curse that made him this way, he wished he couldn't feel, but he did. He felt everything and he craved more. He ate, but was always hungry. He drank but he never ceased to thirst. He had all the pleasurable company he could handle but his lust was never relinquished. Death couldn't even offer him salvation, for he couldn't die. That was his curse, to be forever unfulfilled. Unless, unless he got to that god forsaken cave before anyone else. Then he would finally be free. He brought the curse upon himself, he was well aware but the beautiful thing about grace was that it made life unfair.

He stared down at the warm leg that was currently hitched over his hip and ran his fingers up until they brushed over the girls lips. The girls here were nothing short of incredible, the best ones he'd come across in months. He looked at the faces of the three of them. They were exotically beautiful, two of them were pale but the other was a darker brown. All of their faces showed how exhausted they were but he was far from done with them. They wouldn't refuse him, they couldn't. He was paying well for the 'services' and he would get his money's worth out of each and every one of them. He felt sorry for them in a way, it's not like they ever had to deal or expect to deal with a man like him; a man with an unquenchable amount of lust and an almost nonexistent limit of stamina.

One of the girls, Cho he thought her name was, opened her eyes to look at him. She smiled seductively at him. He gave her a look and she gently shook the others to wake them. It was time to begin again…for the fourth time.

* * *

Sakura walked out of the small bathroom and caught a glimpse of herself in Hinata's full length mirror. _'That can't be me…' _she thought as she walked closer to the mirror. The thin nightgown fit her perfectly. It hugged her in all the right places defining her curves. Her pink hair that she took the time to smooth down with Hinata's brush looked the best that it ever had and her green eyes shone like emeralds. _'Wow…if only Sasuke could see me in this.'_ Sakura blushed at her thoughts. She knew she was attracted to the emotionally distant and dangerous vampire. For some reason the fact that Sasuke was dangerous sparked an excitement inside her rather than fear.

"You look lovely Sakura san." Hinata commented startling her, Sakura had forgotten Hinata was there because the girl was so quiet.

"Thank you and just Sakura is fine. I'm very grateful."

"No problem, I have more dresses than I know what to do with." Hinata replied. "You can sleep here." She pointed to a mattress that was on a small wooden frame against the wall. "I had Matsuda bring it in while you were in the bathroom."

"Thanks."

Hinata smiled and then got a distant look on her face. It was like she was looking through what was in front of her and was viewing some sort of image inside her mind.

"Hinata san?" Sakura called stepping forward.

Hinata lost the far off look and replaced it with a gentle smile. "I'm sorry Sakura but I have to go speak with Kakashi about an important matter. Feel free to explore my room while I'm gone but I wouldn't advise leaving it. This ship is full of vampires, not all of them are going to pass up the chance of a defenseless human walking around."

Sakura gulped and nodded, suddenly the room felt very, very inviting. Hinata left, closing the door quietly behind her. Sakura walked over to her bed and took the silence as a chance to think about everything that happened and the people she met in the last twenty-four hours.

'_Hinata san seems like a very nice person…she's very quiet though. Naruto is nice too, he's like Hinata's opposite, so loud and energetic. That man, Kakashi, he's the Capitan. He doesn't seem to be that bad. That woman he was with, Kaori I think, she must be his girlfriend or wife. Then there's Sasuke, he's so…mysterious. He doesn't talk much but there's something about him…I wonder where he stays...I wish I could talk to him. _

* * *

"So it's because of Sasuke that there is a human on board?" Hinata asked her eyes scanning over the dark blue waters of the ocean.

"Yes, she seems to be the one." Kakashi answered leaning against the ships railing.

"Well, I don't mean to take up your time, I'm sure Kaori is waiting for you. I just wanted to tell you what I discovered." Hinata said and gave a knowing smile which would have caused Kakashi to blush if he was able.

"Yeah, thanks." Kakashi replied, she was right, Kaori was waiting for him and he was anxious to get back to his room to see her.

"Good night captain."

"Night Hinata san."

* * *

Well this was kind of a filler chapter as you can tell but anyway I need your guy's help with something. As some of you might have seen in the summary I'm considering writing lemons for this story so I need you guys to reply and tell me two things. 

Do you want me to write a lemon?

A)Yes

B) No

Well that's it! R&R please!


	6. Secrets and Doubts

Alright I've finally gotten around to typing another chapter, I'm sorry for the rather long wait for this update but I had ran into a lack of inspiration but I've gotten it back now and I have many more new Ideas. So once again I'm sorry for the wait and I'll try not to take so long with posting the next chapter. 

* * *

Sasuke walked down the flight of stairs that would lead him from the navigation room, where he had just finished talking to Shikamaru, to the deck of the ship. Vampires moved about in the light of the moon, their movements graceful as they carried out their tasks getting the ship moving again. Hopefully they would reach deep sea by dawn when their power would be mostly drained. Contrary to most legends about Vampires they _could_ walk in the sun however, it made them weak, drained them of most of their power so that they were no better off than humans. _That _was something Sasuke vehemently detested, being as weak as a human but still not mortal, he found it rather annoying.

"Sasuke" Itachi called his brother, his voice no louder than normal speaking volume but to Sasuke he could hear it as loud as if Itachi had yelled it.

"Did you guys find anything?" He asked approaching his brother. His voice held no optimism for he already knew what his brother was going to tell him, the same thing he would always say. Life aboard a ship searching for something that always seemed out of his reach had truly made Sasuke a pessimist.

Itachi solemnly nodded his head and sighed. He knew his brother was growing impatient, he was as well. "Maybe when we get to Touzoku Shima we'll pick up something worth wile."

"Hn."

"I heard you and Naruto were sent out together on patrol. How did that go?"

"Fine."

"Theirs already rumors being spread about the ship about a human female being brought aboard by you two."

'_I should have known they would be talking about it already. Word travels fast on this ship.' _

"You might want to check on her. Despite Kakashi's warnings there are some crewmen that aren't satisfied with their feedings and would make fast work of a defenseless human."

"I'm well aware of the certain few crew members who could care less for Kakashi's orders but she's staying with Hinata. She'll be fine."

"Why is she here anyway?"

"She found out what we were."

"That was careless of you Sasuke, that's not like you. But you could have killed her."

"I know."

"If you know, then why did you bring her here?"

'_I don't know' _

* * *

Orochimaru reached forward and took the paper from the dark hooded figure's hands. On his face he bore a sadistic sort of smile. He had been waiting to hear from his spy for weeks, his stop on land wasn't merely for the brothel. Oh no, he had far more important reasons, he never stopped just to get laid. He had girls aboard his ship for that, the brothel was just a disguise so that the Vampire Captain Kakashi didn't catch on to what he was really up to.

"You've done well. Now return to the _Crimson Flood_ before your dear captain realizes your missing." The words came out of his mouth laced with sarcasm and mockery.

"Yes sir."

"Oh, and make sure that the next time you bring me a report, you bring that item I told you about."

"Of course Orochimaru Sama."

'_Poor Kakashi, he doesn't even realize that rather than him following me and gaining information, it is I that am gaining it on him and the source is right under his nose.' _

* * *

Kakashi walked towards his cabin but his thoughts wouldn't let him have peace. His brain was running a mile a minute and possibilities of what Hinata had revealed to him was driving him up a wall. What if it wasn't what it seemed? As visions couldn't always be taken literally as they had been seen. What if it didn't mean what he'd hoped? Hinata had always been accurate with her visions. They proved to be a very helpful source along their journeys. What she envisioned always happened, always. But not always in the ways that he had expected. Sometimes that was a good thing and in others not but this situation was far too important for it to turn out wrong. It was because of his musings about the future that he was able to see a latecomer board his ship, long after the other crewmen had returned.

"Hagetaka, something wrong?"

"No sir, I was delayed. Sorry for any inconvenience."

"Well hurry up and report to your station, we have a ship to sail."

"Yes sir!"

Kakashi watched the man walk off to his position. Hagetaka was gruff looking man. His face held a permanent scowl and his eyes were small and dark but always alert. He had scares covering his face and because of his permanent scowl he always had a sour look about him, and his personality was usually just as sour. He kept to himself for the most part and despite him being one of the oldest members of the crew Kakashi realized he didn't know much about him. He didn't know where he came from or even his first name.

'_I'll have to watch him closer, especially with the threat of a mutiny about.' _

Kakashi ran his crew strictly and expected them to behave the way he ordered and didn't tolerate insubordination and on of his rules was no praying on humans unless necessary. Some of the crew members were against this rule and did it anyway but if they were discovered breaking that rule Kakashi would have them executed. He didn't believe in the pointless bloodshed of humans for their own survival, not when they had other means of acquiring blood. The only way feeding on humans was justified was if they would ever happen to attack the ship. Then after killing the human they were aloud to feast, why waste it? Or if a human gave them blood willingly but that didn't happen because of another one of his rules, no humans on the outside could know they exist.

Needless to say pirates or in this case Vampirates didn't take much of a liking to rules and Kakashi had more of them than they would like. Some we're trying to take over the ship and Kakashi knew it would only be a matter of time before trouble broke out.

Daylight was only a few hours away so Kakashi headed to his cabin along with most of his crew (the one's who weren't busy tending to the ship to keep it going thru the night) to feed and get energy for the coming day.

* * *

Well some new things were learned and the plot thickens so all in all not a totally pointless chapter. Its short I know but I felt I should end it there instead of having to stop in the middle of something else. 

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! 

R&R please! 


	7. Hunters

Well as promised this chapter is longer than the last! 

Note: I do NOT own Naruto or the Vampirate song I put in. It's written by Justin Somper, I just changed a word or two. 

* * *

Sakura walked alongside Hinata as they made their way on deck. She was never permitted to leave her cabin without the female vampire at her side; Kakashi's orders. He had explained to her that it was for her safety so she didn't mind it much. She rather enjoyed Hinata's company and they had come to be friends. Despite being on board for only three days it felt much longer to her. There wasn't much to do during the day besides converse with her new vampire friend. In fact this was the first time she'd left Hinata's cabin since she arrived. Food was even delivered to her room. She always felt awkward eating in front of Hinata when she didn't eat herself. Sakura had never even seen her drink blood; she assumed that Hinata did it at night seeing as that was the only time that the female vampire would leave her room.

They stopped at the edge of the ship and looked out over the waters below. The sun was setting and it was a beautiful sight to see. Oranges, pinks, purples, and blues colored the sky and reflected back off the water.

"Nothing compares to a sunset over the water." Said Hinata, her posture perfect as always and her dark hair blowing slightly with the breeze. Hinata didn't look much like a pirate, especially in the flowing white dress she had on. She looked small and fragile, like if she wasn't handled gently enough she'd brake but despite how she looked she was much stronger than any human and even most vampires.

Sakura nodded her head in agreement and then turned her attention to the many Vampires who were making their way on deck. They all looked human except for their death-pale skin and the stunning grace that they carried themselves with, not to mention their beauty.

Her eyes continued to scan the deck until she saw a familiar face. Sasuke and some other male Vampires were carrying large barrels from the lower levels of the ship to the deck. Her eyes were instantly glued to him, she hadn't seen him since the night he rescued her and she seemed to have forgotten how amazingly handsome he was. Her memory certainly didn't do him justice. As she studied his form she blushed. He wasn't wearing a shirt leaving him only in his black pants and boots. She didn't mean to stare for fear of him seeing her but she couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from his chest. He was muscular, but not overly so. He was perfect. Her eyes widened when he turned his head and looked straight in her eyes while raising a brow. She was caught.

* * *

Sasuke sighed as he heaved the barrel onto his shoulder, not because it was heavy but because he was bored. Kakashi asked him to help out and he couldn't say no. He _was_ the captain after all but he'd much rather be on deck sparring with Naruto.

On his fourth and final trip to drop off his last barrel he noticed he was being watched. He didn't have to look to know who it was. He could _feel _her eyes on him as he moved. He hadn't seen her in three days, in truth he had been avoiding her. Not that it was hard seeing as she never left her room. It wasn't because he didn't like her, it was because he did. He didn't know what he was feeling for the pink haired girl, but whatever it was…he didn't like it. He knew that for some strange reason he was attracted to her even though he tried to tell himself that he wasn't.

When her eyes didn't stop watching him he smirked to himself, he could feel her blush from where he was. He could hear her heart beat faster and that sweet smelling blood rush to her cheeks. He decided that he loved her blush, and he was going to see just how red she could get. He looked straight into her eyes and enjoyed the look of shock on her face. He had reached his goal; her complexion was now competing with her hair.

* * *

Sakura quickly looked away in embarrassment. He has seen her! He looked right at her! She knew her face must have been rivaling a tomato and she inwardly chastised herself for staring too much.

'_I can't believe he caught me! I'm such an idiot!' _

Hinata had observed the whole thing and inwardly giggled. Poor Sakura was so embarrassed that she almost looked like she wanted to curl up in a ball and hide. It was extremely funny though, and from the look on his face Sasuke was enjoying himself as well. In fact that arrogant smirk of his was now spreading across his face.

"Sakura" Hinata called in her soft voice, "We should go change, we'll be arriving at Touzoku Shima soon and believe me, you wont want to be wearing that."

Sakura looked at Hinata thankful for the distraction. "Huh? Why?"

"A dress would not be a wise choice. You'd be much better off in pants. There are some…. _unsavory _characters that hang around." Hinata inwardly winced at the memory of some run-ins that she had with some of the men around the island.

"I see."

* * *

"Hey teme, you ready to hit the bar?" Naruto grinned coming to stand beside his friend slash rival.

"We're going to get information dobe, not to drink." Sasuke answered folding his arms across his chest.

"Yeah yeah, what's got you so uptight anyway? Well… more uptight than usual"

"Nothing." Sasuke grunted furrowing his brows.

Naruto followed his friends gaze over to Sakura who had just come back on deck. She had on brown baggy pants that were tucked into her black boots, a sleeveless red shirt and a thick black belt over it around her waist. Her long pink hair was pulled up into a pony tail she had what he noticed to be a pair of Hinata's silver hoops in her ears.

"Aaaah I see, you're just grumpy because you have a crush on Sakura and she's over there talking to Matsuda!" Naruto stated giving his friend a smirk.

"Shut up dobe, I do _not_ have a _crush_ on Sakura."

"Yes you do! You're jealous that she's paying attention to a guy other than you!"

"_What_ did you just say?!" Sasuke eyes bled red as he gave Naruto a murderous glare.

"You heard me. You're J-E-A-L-O-U-S!" Naruto mocked, spelling it out for Sasuke.

Sasuke narrowed his blood red eyes even further, his hand shot out and grabbed Naruto by the neck and yanked him forward so fast that not even the half vampire- half demon saw it coming. "I.am.NOT._jealous._" He let go of Naruto who fell to the ground and landed on his butt.

'_Heh no need to get so defensive if you're not jealous.' _

"_Naruto!" _

* * *

"Land ho!"

The crew looked straight ahead to see Touzoku Shima. The bright lights of the inner city could be seen through the dark and as the ship pulled into port they could hear the sound of drunken sailors singing lewd shanties loudly and off key. The vampires started to walk down the gangplank and onto the docks on their way into town. Touzoku Shima was a regular stop for them, they knew the pirates and thieves that usually hung around and they knew the rules that they had to follow while away from the ship. They no longer required a talk from Kakashi before they departed. However, Sasuke, Naruto, Hinata, and Sakura were stopped by him before they made it off the ship.

"Naruto, remember to stick with Hinata this time. We don't want a repeat of what happened the last time we were here." Kakashi warned giving Naruto a stern look.

"Hai! She won't leave my sight for a second!" Naruto saluted and grinned then grabbed Hinata by the hand to led her off the ship.

"And Sasuke, I want you to escort Sakura. A woman shouldn't walk around this place by herself, it's too dangerous. I know you were looking forward to gathering more information but I think you can manage to do that while keeping her with you."

"Hn. Let's go." Sasuke turned and started down the gangplank and Sakura followed close behind him. He slowed down his swift stride so she could walk beside him as the started into town. Men were lining the streets, most stumbling around in a drunken stupor hitting on women and falling all over the place. They looked nothing like Kakashi's crew; they were greasy and looked like they hadn't had a decent bath in months. A few fights were going on, the men swinging at each other wildly with their swords but both managing to miss.

Sasuke continued walking, always staring straight ahead, never phased by what was going on around him….well that is until a few pirates started yelling out cat calls to Sakura and whistling. His eyes narrowed but he ignored it until one of them made the unwise choice to approach her.

"What's a beautiful girl like you doing out here all alone?" The man asked, his breath reeked of alcohol.

"She's with me." Sasuke answered for her with a glare in the man's direction. He grabbed Sakura around the waist and pulled her to him causing her eyes to widen.

"Oh sorry mate, I guess I didn't see you there." He took a quick glance at Sasuke but turned his gaze back to Sakura, "You want to come back to my room with me? I'm sure I could show you a good time." the man winked in her direction.

"She's not interested." Sasuke's voice was like steel, "Now leave before I _make_ you leave." He flashed his fangs and the man took off running.

"T-thank you." Said Sakura blushing at the way he held her, but as soon as the man was gone he let her go again.

"Hn." Sasuke started walking again in the direction of a building that Sakura was pretty sure was a bar. The sign above the door read 'Mai's Place'. When they walked in Sakura saw that the place was filled with men drinking and enjoying the company of the bar maids. One of the waitresses spotted them from across the room and quickly made her way over swinging her hips in a seductive fashion. Her dress was strapless and it was extremely tight around the chest area, a corset around her middle pushed up her chest showing off a lot of cleavage.

"Sasuke kun!" She purred moving forward to give him an embrace that he didn't return. "You look even better than the last time I saw you!" she ran her hands over his chest and gave him a wink. Then she noticed Sakura. "Who's she?"

"Haruno Sakura." She introduced her self and stuck out her hand.

The waitress ignored her and continued to stare at Sasuke. "She with you?"

"Yes." Sasuke answered detaching himself from the whorish looking woman. "She's with me."

The woman's eyes widened and then she threw Sakura a glare, "I'll get your usual." The woman didn't wait for Sakura to order anything before she was off.

"Who was that?" Sakura asked taking a seat beside Sasuke.

"Karin, she works here. She's annoying as hell."

"Were you two…you know…together?" Sasuke rose a brow at her and she blushed (for the millionth time that day). "I mean you don't have to tell me, I was just curious because of the way she acted… I'm sorry if I was rude."

"No."

"….what?"

"Karin and I were never together, she wishes though."

"Oh"

* * *

Sakura and Sasuke walked out of the bar after Sasuke had a few drinks and talked to a few 'old friends'. They walked down the streets in silence but he stayed closer to her than he had before. His hand brushed hers a few times and he had the urge to grab it.

'_What's wrong with me?' _

"I didn't know Vampires drank sake."

"Huh?" she had caught him off guard with her statement and he mentally slapped himself for his idiotic response. "We can eat food and drink other things besides blood but its not necessary for our survival."

"Oh."

'_Damn it Sakura think! This is the most he's talked to us and you can't even carry on a conversation!' _

Suddenly Sasuke stopped dead in his tracks. A faint sound rang thru the night, the sound of a young child singing a song Sasuke had heard many times before. Only he'd hoped he'd never hear it again. Soon Sakura picked up on the sound as well and they stood there and listened.

I'll tell you a tale of Vampirates

a tale as old as true

I'll sing you a song of an ancient ship

and its mighty fearsome crew

I'll sing you a song of an ancient ship

that haunts the ocean blue

The child's voice took on a more solemn tone as he sang, the notes perfect in pitch.

-

The Vampirate ship has tattered sails

that flap like wings in flight

they say that the captain, he wears a veil

so as to curtail your fright

at his death-pale skin

and his blood red eye

and his teeth as sharp as night

-

Sakura's mind whirled, weren't humans not supposed to know things such as vampires existed, let alone Vampirates? Wasn't that the reason she had been taken aboard their ship in the first place? The song was defiantly referring to Kakashi's single red eye that he covered with his bandana.

You better be good child- as good as gold

as good as good can be

else I'll turn you in to the Vampirates

and wave you out to sea

-

Well if pirates are bad,

and Vampires are worse,

then I pray that as long as I be

though I sing of Vampirates

I never one shall see

-

If pirates are danger,

and Vampires death,

I'll extend my prayer for thee-

That thine eyes never see a Vampirate…

….and they never lay a hand on thee

'_Hunters….that's they only way this child could know this song… they know we're here.' _Sasuke grabbed Sakura's hand and ran.

* * *

I hate this chapter, I think it skips around too much...sorry! 

I bet some of you are really confused right now. Everything will be explained in the next chapter but if you have questions ask and I'll try to explain it more in an authors note. 

Review Please! Idea's, suggestions, its all welcome. 


	8. Explanations

As usual I _still_ do not own Naruto. 

No other authors notes for now soooo….enjoy! 

* * *

Sakura breathed heavily as Sasuke drug her down dark back streets on their way back to the ship. Her feet were barely touching the ground from the rate he was running. Eventually it seemed to click in his mind that, she being a human, couldn't keep up with him and he pulled her into his arms and took off even faster than before.

Her mind was spinning, a million thoughts raced through her head at once causing her to feel dizzy. When they reached the ship he put her down but she continued to cling to him, feeling as if she let go she would fall. Sasuke furrowed his brows in annoyance but none the less continued to hold her up while he called for Kakashi who came instantly.

"We have to leave, _their _here."

Kakashi's face grew serious, almost frightening, "Have they caught on to us yet?"

"Yes, I noticed at least five trailing us. I lost them in a back ally but we don't have much time."

"Right, get Miss Haruno back to her room."

"Hai."

* * *

"Damn it! We lost them!"

The five men stopped running, two of them doubling over and panting heavily. They were all dressed in black cloaks with hoods that cast an eerie shadow over their faces.

"He had a human." One of the men panted out glaring from under his hood.

"Are you sure Saji?"

"Yes, that woman was defiantly human. The bastard is probably taking her back to their ship for a _snack._" Saji spit out venom dripping off of every word.

"I doubt it."

"_Oh, _and why is _that_ Sen? You getting a _soft spot_ for the blood suckers? Their monsters and everyone knows it!"

"That _wasn't_ what I meant, Saji. I meant that if a snack is all he wanted he would have disposed of her by then plus there are humans everywhere why would he go through the trouble of dragging her with him when he could pick up another later?"

"Their _parasites_, do they need logic?"

"That's enough Saji! Debating over why he took her isn't getting us anywhere." A man stepped forward, apparently the leader based on the way the others bowed their head in respect. "The point is that a Vampire has taken a human hostage. The important thing is, no matter why she's there, that we rescue her."

* * *

Sasuke was carrying her again, one of his arms supporting her back and the other under her knees, and she had one of her arms looped around his neck. When they had tried to walk she couldn't seem to do so, she was unfocused and wobbly.

'_Tch. Humans, so weak. When we find that cave…do I really want to become one?' _

When he got into her room he set her down gently on Hinata's bed and turned to leave.

Sakura looked at his back as he walked away, her mind was clearing. "Wait!"

Sasuke turned around and raised a brow. "What?"

"Who are "_they"_? What's going on? Why did you take off so fast? What's with that song? Why-"

Sasuke had knelt down in front of her, one of his cold fingers pressed to her lips. His dark eyes showed a hint of annoyance and amusement but his face remained indifferent. "You ask too many questions human."

Sakura's eyes widened slightly, his deep voice had an affect on her that she couldn't explain but soon she remembered what she was doing and her eye's narrowed instead. "My name is Sakura, not _human _and I want to know what's going on around here! You're the one who brought me here, so I have a right to know!"

A small look of shock showed on Sasuke's face for just a moment. No Vampire had ever talked to him like that or demanded anything from him let alone a human! Sasuke let out a smirk and this time amusement was all that showed in his eyes.

'_He's _enjoying_ this! He's _smirking_ at me! UGH!' _

"Fine, Sa-ku-ra, what do you think you have the "right" to know?" He was still smirking but it increased when she blushed at the way he said her name.

"Who are "_they" _that everyone keeps referring too?"

"Vampire hunters."

"Are they human?"

"Yes."

Sakura drew her brows together in confusion, "I thought you said that no humans knew vampires existed."

Sasuke sighed seeing he wasn't going to be leaving anytime soon and sat down facing her on the bed. "Their an exception. The group has been around ever since I can remember; we think that it was started by the family of some rouge vampire's victims. Rouges aren't too careful with who they let see them."

"Rouges?"

"Yes, vampires who were disowned by their clans for one reason or another. Just like humans vampire's have rules that they need to follow."

"So what about that song?"

"The vampire hunters wrote it, the child was probably one of their sons."

"Oh."

"Run out of questions already Sakura?" He was smirking again.

"No, well it doesn't have anything to do with Vampire hunters but it's been bugging me since I came here."

"Hn."

"Vampires need blood to survive right?"

"Yes."

"How do you guys…you know…feed?" Sakura looked away from his eyes embarrassed by asking what would probably seem to him like a stupid question only a human would ask.

"You don't need to worry about that." Sasuke studied her expression, "We don't go out murdering humans if that's what you're thinking."

Sakura blushed the thought had ran across her mind. "I wasn't thinking that at all."

"Hn." He just sat there and stared at her with an expression that she didn't quite understand.

'_This girl, she's not scared of me anymore. Why?' _

'_Maybe we're not as scary as we thought we were?' _

'_What are _you_ doing here?' _

'_Explaining things to you since you seem to be as dense as Naruto sometimes.' _

'_I am NOT as dense as the dobe!' _

'…_I wouldn't say that.' _

'_What do you want?!' _

'_You haven't figured out why she has such a hold over you yet have you?' _

'_She doesn't have a hold over me.' _

'_Still in denial are we?' _

'…_Fine. She has some sort of a …_affect_ on me… but noting else.' _

'_Riiiight. Don't you remember what father told us?' _

'_You mean she…no that's not possible! She's just a human.' _

'_So? It _is_ possible, because whether you like it or not, she _is._ Don't act like you don't feel it. I know you do.' _

'_I feel nothing!' _

'_Then why wouldn't you let Naruto kill her? Why did you save her in the first place?' _

'…_I don't know.' _

'_You _do_ know you just won't admit it! You _want_ to claim her but you keep suppressing your feelings.' _

'_Shut up!' _

"Sasuke?"

His eye's snapped up to hers, they were blood red. As he stared intensely into her eye's he leaner toward her, his lips stopped centimeters away from hers and she could feel his cold breath on her face.

* * *

Aaand that seems like a good place to stop right? Lol. Got to love cliff hangers! 

There are probably some grammatical errors because I typed this while A.) Listening to Build God and Then We'll Talk by Panic! At the Disco and B.) Talking to my brother who's in Iraq on yahoo. I try to get them all when I re-read it before posting but usually some slip by.

R&R please! 


	9. Feeding

Two updates in one night, I'm not doing too bad lol. 

Its time for my favorite chapter so far! :) I had fun writing this one and I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it lol. 

Again, _STILL _don't own Naruto…but my birthday is coming up!...In another five months….

* * *

Having his face so close to hers was intoxicating to Sakura, she wanted to lean in and touch her lips to his, see if that part of him was just as cold as the rest of him or if it would be somehow warmer. She was aware that she was just staring at his mouth and she could feel his eyes staring at her still with the same intensity. She didn't know why he didn't move closer, didn't close the gap between them. He seemed to be debating over something in his head. Maybe he was waiting for her to move first? She didn't know but him just sitting there like that was driving her crazy. So if he wasn't going to do anything, she decided she would. She slowly moved forward and brushed her warm lips against his cool ones, not cold just cool.

Something jolted through Sasuke when she kissed him. Something like electricity that started where their lips were touching and flowed through the rest of him, awaking every nerve in his body. He was instantly addicted. Her lips seemed so soft and warm under his and he never wanted to pull away. So he pushed closer to her, finally returning the kiss. One of his hands came up to stroke her cheek with the pad of his thumb. It was an affectionate gesture, something he never did.

When he finally returned her kiss Sakura almost melted and when his hand came up to stroke her cheek she got a pleasant tingling sensation, she didn't want to pull away but her need for air was unavoidable. It was just a simple kiss, just a mere brushing of lips, innocent enough so how could something so simple make her feel so…alive. His eyes were staring where hers once were: on her lips. This time he leaned in and captured her lips with his. His hand that was on her cheek grabbed her chin to angle her better and his other wrapped around her waist and pulled her to him, her hands trapped between them on his chest. He lightly ran his tongue over her bottom lip causing Sakura to gasp at the new sensation. He took advantage of her reaction and slipped his tongue into her mouth tasting her. She tasted sweet, sort of like strawberries.

As his tongue continued to explore her mouth she slowly worked up the courage and shyly caressed his tongue with hers. He made a strange sound in the back of his throat that sent goose bumps up and down her arms. The hand on her chin tilted her head slightly so he could deepen the kiss even further and her hands came up to fist themselves in his dark hair. He knew she needed air but she didn't look like she was going to pull back anytime soon so he did. Her green eyes remained closed and her lips slightly parted still as she inhaled. Sasuke knew from that moment he was screwed, she was his drug and he was hopelessly addicted.

* * *

The entire crew had boarded the _Crimson Flood_ and it was out to sea again. The hunters were close on their trail but they had managed to loose them. Kakashi had a sneaking suspicion that they hadn't seen the last of them though. Night was fading into day and the crew hadn't fed yet, they would have to do so soon or they wouldn't be able to keep their strength long enough to keep the ship sailing through the daylight hours. He gave the order for everyone to retire while they quenched their thirst.

That's when Hinata and Naruto had walked in on the couple that was occupying her room. They had already broken apart due to Sasuke and his Vampire hearing but Naruto was still suspicious.

"What are you doing here teme?" Naruto asked with a sort of smug tone to his voice.

"What are _you _doing here dobe?" Sasuke shot back.

"Kakashi told everyone to feed. We were coming to check on Sakura before we went back to my room."

"Hn."

Hinata wasn't as dense as Naruto, she knew something was going on before they interrupted and she sensed that it was time for them to make an exit, "Sakura seems fine so we should go Naruto kun." She gently pulled his arm leading him to the door.

"See you later teme!" Naruto smirked walking with Hinata back out into the hallway.

A silence settled over the room, Sasuke instead of sitting with her on the bed was across the room leaning against the wall, his arms folded over his chest. Sakura looked down at her hands that were resting in her lap, he had basically told her earlier that how they fed was none of her business but she had to ask. "Why were Hinata and Naruto on their way back to his room together if Kakashi told them to feed?"

Sasuke sighed and ran a hand thru his hair, "We feed off of each other."

"What do you mean?" Sakura looked up at him confused.

"Members of the crew pair up, usually with someone of a different gender or if they have a mate they pair with them, and drink each others blood rather than going out and getting it from humans. This way everyone is fed and no one dies. Hinata and Naruto were going to his room because they probably didn't want you to see them feeding."

"Oh… so you have someone that you usually ….pair with?"

"Yes."

"I see." Sakura's chest tightened and a dull ache started in her heart, the thought of Sasuke being intimate with another woman made her feel like she couldn't breath.

"In fact I should go." Sasuke pushed himself off the wall and made his way to the door only to be stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"Do you have to go?" Sakura knew she was being selfish but the thought of him and another woman kept running through her mind bringing a fresh wave of pain each time.

"Yes, it's my turn to help out on deck during the day. Without feeding I won't have enough strength." Sasuke's hand came to rest on hers on his shoulder lightly running his thumb over her knuckles.

"What I mean is, could I help?" Sakura blushed and looked down, scared of him rejecting her and going back to the "other woman".

"Sakura." Sasuke turned to face her, running a finger over her jaw and down to her collar bone.

"You could take blood from me right?" She looked up into his eyes afraid she would see something back like annoyance or even disgust but all she saw was indecision.

"You're not afraid? I could hurt you." Sasuke asked, the idea was too tempting for him, he licked his bottom and stared at her beautifully pale neck.

"I'm not afraid, you _could_ hurt me Sasuke, but I know you won't." She looked so sure of him, so trusting and unafraid that it bothered him. What if he couldn't stop? What if her blood tasted as sweet as it smelled and he couldn't get enough just like her kisses? What if he took too much? He could _kill_ her. Four days ago that thought wouldn't have bothered him, but now the thought of her dying, especially by him gave him the sensation of a katana being shoved through his non-beating heart. "Please Sasuke."

"As you wish." Sasuke lowered his head so his nose brushed against her collar bone. He took a moment to breath in her scent, she smelt absolutely wonderful to him. He could feel the vein in her neck pulsing with blood, calling to him. He descended his lips upon her neck and felt her shudder, he placed a light kiss to her neck as if apologizing and her hands came to rest on his shoulders. He opened his mouth and let his fangs puncture her soft skin. Her warm blood ran into his mouth and he groaned. It tasted even better than it smelled.

Sakura's hands had started to squeeze his shoulder lightly, not from pain but from pleasure. Sasuke drinking her blood was one of the most erotic sensations she had ever felt. His arms wrapped around her waist whether it was in a possessive manner or to keep her from running away she wasn't sure, but she sure wasn't going to do the latter. She leaned her head back to give him easier access and moaned as he retracted his fangs and lapped up the remaining blood with his tongue. He placed a kiss to the puncture wound on her neck and leaned back so her head could fall on his shoulder, him continuing to hold her.

"I told you, you wouldn't hurt me." Sakura whispered against him smiling.

Sasuke smirked, "Hn."

* * *

Sasuke has FEELINGS! WOO! Lol, sorry I'm hyper right now besides having caught a cold and not being able to breath properly :( lol. 

R&R, PLEASE?? 0.0 


	10. Jealousy and Lust

I wanted to let everyone know that I'm going to redoing the previous chapters, I'm not changing anything really, I'm just getting rid of some grammatical errors that I've found while reading over it. 

Also I've sat down and mapped out the story and I have at least two SasuSaku lemons planned. 

I still don't own Naruto, just this story. 

* * *

Sasuke glared at the cleaning utensil that he held in his hand. Kakashi had assigned him to mop the deck. Really, _Uchiha Sasuke _was assigned the lowly task of cleaning the ship. Maybe he shouldn't have made that comment about Kakashi's bandana… who knew he was so sensitive about it? Sasuke dunked the mop back into the bucket and resumed cleaning the last portion of the ship. He had to leave Sakura for this? He could think of a lot more worth while things he could be doing with the pink haired woman rather than a mop.

"What's got you all happy lately Matsuda?"

"I think I'm in love!"

Sasuke continued mopping and rolled his eyes. He always found Matsuda extremely annoying, he wasn't really good at anything and he was clumsier than an elephant trying to do the tango. The boy, he was one of the youngest people on the ship, always got in his way no matter what he was doing.

"Oh yeah? With who?"

"Her names Sakura."

"The human girl that was brought on board?"

"Yeah, she's not a girl though, defiantly a woman."

Sasuke continued mopping but much slower, he moved closer so he could hear the conversation better. He was glaring holes in the floor and his hands were gripping the handle of the mop so hard the wood was about to splinter in his hands.

"She doesn't seem like anything special to me, I mean she's not near as pretty as our females."

"I think she is! Plus she actually talks to me. I've only seen her when I brought food to her room but she was always so sweet to me, the women in this crew don't even bother to look in my direction!"

So she's "sweet" to him huh? Sasuke gripped the handle so tightly that it broke in two causing small pieces of wood to get imbedded in his palms. He cursed and pulled the little pieces out of his skin and stuck both ends of the mop in the bucket. He was done, if he stayed any longer Matsuda was going to end up with the same fate as the mop.

* * *

Hinata yawned and stretched, her small fangs poking slightly out of her mouth. The warm body under her had heard her and was waking himself. The arms around her waist tightened and one hand went to run up her bare spine. Hinata smiled and rested her head in the crook of his neck and gave him a kiss. "Good Morning Naruto Kun."

Naruto made a sort of grumbling sound in this throat and pulled her fully on top of him. Hinata giggled and ran her fingers lightly over his jaw. Earlier when they had gone to feed they had gotten a little wrapped up and needless to say she never made it back to her room, she hardly ever did.

"I should go check on Sakura. I bet she wants to get out of that room for a little while." Hinata tried to untangle herself from him but he wasn't having it.

"Just a little longer Hinata Chan?" Naruto ran his rough hand along the length of her torso, caressing each curve as if trying to memorize it.

"Mmm just a little longer." Hinata agreed and Naruto smiled and brought her lips to his to kiss her once again.

* * *

"Itachi, do you know where Sasuke was this morning?" A woman with beautiful light blonde hair and full red lips approached the Uchiha who was walking down the hallway on his way to his cabin.

"He wasn't with you?" Sarcasm laced his words, not surprise.

"Obviously not if I'm asking where he was." The woman scowled and placed her hands on her hips, her foot tapping the floor impatiently.

"I don't know where he is Aria, he probably found somebody else to pair with for the night." Itachi smirked at the pissed off look that she gave him. He couldn't stand the bitch. She was rude, shallow, impatient and overly possessive of his younger brother when he wasn't even hers in the first place. She _was_ extraordinarily beautiful but her beauty was only skin deep. He didn't know how his brother put up with her long enough to drink her blood.

"He _wouldn't_ pair with anybody else, I'm the best woman on this ship." Her tone showed arrogance but her icy blue eyes betrayed her insecurity.

"Look Aria, for one its none of your damn business where and with whom my brother spends his time. You need to stay out of things that don't concern you. You want to talk to my brother, go find him yourself but I wouldn't be surprised if he did find somebody else, I don't know how he put up with you in the first place." Itachi flashed his sharingon as if to emphasize his point, "Now get out of my sight."

"Whatever, I was leaving anyway."

* * *

"You wanted to see me Kakashi san?" Sakura asked as she and Hinata walked into his cabin. He nodded his head and motioned for them to take a seat in front of his desk.

"I called you all here because I have an idea that I'd like to try out." He looked at Sakura and then at Kaori who was standing to his right. "I understand it must be very boring for you to have to sit around a room all day and do nothing."

"I'm fine, Hinata keeps me company." Sakura replied not wanting to be a burden.

"I'm sure she does but you do get bored, yes?"

"Sometimes."

"I've ordered that Hinata be with you at all times when you leave your room for safety measures but I realize that that might be tiresome for the both of you so I was thinking of something that would solve both problems. Something that would get you out of the room during the day, give you something to do and enable you to not need a body guard at all times." Kakashi folded his hands on his desk and looked around at everyone's faces, seeing that they were all following him he continued. "How would you like to learn to sword fight?"

"Me? I used to work at a medical clinic, I heal people, I don't kill them." Sakura said staring down at her hands in her lap, "I'm sorry."

"I never said you'd have to kill anyone Sakura, I'm not sending you out on a raid or anything." Kakashi laughed as if the idea was extremely humorous. "It's purely for self defense and as I said before, to give you something to do."

"I'm not so good at those kinds of things, I don't know if I'd be able to learn." Sakura had a doubtful expression and looked over to Hinata to see what she thought. The female vampire was smiling in agreement with Kakashi.

"That's why Kaori will be teaching you, she's the best of the best when it comes to combat with swords. She'll have you mastering the trade in no time." Kakashi looked over at her, "That is if she agrees."

"Of course, I'd be happy to." Kaori gave a reassuring smile in Sakura's direction.

"Okay its settled then, you'll start your first lesson tomorrow." Kakashi smiled, "You're dismissed."

* * *

Sasuke returned to his room and sat on his bed. He had apologized to Kakashi for breaking the mop and instead of him dismissing him like he thought he would he handed Sasuke a letter. Apparently it had arrived for him the night before by a messenger hawk. It was from his father.

Sasuke didn't have a bad relationship with his father per say, it was just a little strained. Itachi's too, their father hadn't been approving when they told him they were sailing off with Kakashi to look for the witch Mira's cave. He had explained to his father why he wanted to find it; he explained that he wanted to be human, to be normal. His father had gotten angry with him, going on about how Sasuke and Itachi weren't proud of their pure blood vampire heritage and how they were ungrateful, about how being human was certainly _not_ better than being a pure blooded vampire.

Sasuke knew his father loved him and his brother and wanted the best for them, but their idea's of what was best were not always the same thing.

Sasuke opened the letter and began to read his fathers familiar print.

**Sasuke, **

**Your mother and I are doing fine. She wanted me to tell you that she misses and loves you both and can't wait to see you again. She does miss you, a lot. You two were the most important things in her life. I just don't understand why becoming human is so important to you. Were you not happy with your family and your life? Your mother needs you two, if you wont come home because of my reasoning, do it for your mother. **

**Your Father. **

Sasuke sighed, his father wasn't playing fair and he knew it. He loved his mother very much and it wasn't right for his father to try and put a guilt trip on him, but it was working. He wasn't sure anymore what he wanted, but he did know one thing. He would not leave Kakashi before they had found what they were looking for. When he joined his crew he had made a commitment, and he had every intention of keeping it.

* * *

Sakura stared at the wooden ceiling above her. Day had once again faded into night and Hinata had left the room with Naruto again. She had a feeling that something more than "feeding" was going on with those two but she didn't voice it. It wasn't any of her business anyway. While she was on that train of thought she started to think about Sasuke. What were they now? He had kissed her and when she had offered him her blood he took it, holding her afterward. Did that mean they were _together_ or in vampire terms mates? Were they just friends? Before today she hadn't even considered him that but now she didn't know if that was _all _she could consider him. She started to think more about the kisses they shared, how they made her feel so _right_ as if she was supposed to be in his arms kissing him like she did. She had come to a conclusion: she loved him. She wondered how it was possible to fall in love with someone in such a short amount of time, she didn't know when her feelings had begun, maybe it was from the fist time she saw him, when he had saved her. She did know one thing though, she needed him. She missed him so much at the moment that it was hurting her physically.

Suddenly another realization hit her, it was night again. That meant that Sasuke had to feed and he hadn't come to see her since he left that morning. What if he was with that other woman right now? What if he was holding her close like he had held her? She wasn't stupid; she had seen the female vampires on board. They were beautiful, much more beautiful than she was. Why would Sasuke want her when he could be with one of them?

Pain gripped her heart and a tear ran silently down her cheek. It made sense didn't it? He wasn't with her because he was with someone much more than she could ever be. Her hands gripped the sheets under her and her eyes closed but it didn't stop another tear from making its way down. She tried to tell her self that she was overreacting, maybe he was just busy or maybe he didn't need to feed every night. Those thoughts were much more comforting than the others but she still had to know.

Sakura sat up and swung her feet over the bed and onto the floor. Hinata had told her which cabin was his when they were walking around the ship the other day. She had to go see him, she didn't care if it was dangerous to make the journey to his room alone. Nothing mattered but seeing him and stopping the ache in her heart.

She slowly opened the door and peered out into the dark hallway. No one was around so she decided it was safe to venture out. She closed the door behind her and made her way down the hall to the left. She turned twice, once left then right and then counted down four doors on the right side before she was standing in front of his room. It was so quiet that she doubted if he was in fact inside but she hadn't come just to turn back now so she lifted her hand and knocked lightly on the polished wood surface. A second later Sasuke appeared in the door. He was only wearing a pair of black baggy pants and his arms were crossed over his sculpted chest. He looked surprised to see her but quickly stepped aside to let her enter his room.

Sakura looked around as he shut the door behind her. There was a simple dresser, desk, nightstand and bed frame all made out of polished dark wood. The sheets and pillows on his bed looked to be made out of black silk, soft and inviting. When she turned around he was right behind her, barely an inch between their bodies. As he stared at her face he frowned, his hand came up to brush away a few stray tears that she had forgotten were there. Why was she crying? He only had one thought going through his head. _'Whose ass am I kicking?' _

Sakura looked down and blushed. He wasn't with some other woman. The pain that was squeezing her heart was no longer there. Now it was replaced with something else: love and lust. His half naked figure so close to her was making her feel things that she had never felt before. She _wanted _him. Wanted him in a way she had never wanted anybody.

Sasuke stared down at her. He found it exceedingly cute when she blushed as hard as she was now but cute wasn't the word he would use to describe her at the moment. Sasuke being a vampire could tell she was getting aroused and he inwardly smirked. _He_ was the one having this affect on her, not some boy, not _Matsuda_. He brushed his fingers down her bare arm, a feather light touch but it caused her to shudder. His arms wound around her waist and pulled her to him, pushing her soft body against his hard one. Her body seemed to fit to his perfectly. Sakura gasped and wound her arms around his neck and her hands went up to tangle themselves in his hair. Sasuke leaned down and crashed his lips onto hers, it wasn't sweet like the other kiss they shared, it was more passionate.

"Sasuke?!" The door to Sasuke's room stood open and a shocked figure stood outside.

* * *

Haha, I bet you all were expecting a lemon, not yet! Lol. 

R&R please! 


	11. Making Love

Well it's the chapter you've all been waiting for, SasuSaku lemon number 1. This is only the second lemon I've ever written so please remember that when you want to flame me for the sucky-ness of it. 

NOTE: If you do not want to read the lemon I suggest you skip to the next line break or you can skip this chapter all together because the whole thing is mostly lemon. 

* * *

Sasuke turned his head but remained his hold on Sakura to see a shocked and dejected looking Aria standing at his door. He knew that the woman liked him but he didn't return her feelings. The only reason that he even talked to her was because he needed her blood to survive. He was going to stop pairing with her even before Sakura offered to give him her blood. Her shallow arrogance annoyed him, but when she started attacking other females that looked his way he got even further annoyed. She acted as if she had a claim on him which she didn't. He never led her on; he never did anything or interacted with her in any way besides when he had to feed. Now he was angry, he didn't appreciate his time with Sakura being so rudely interrupted by her barging in.

"Get out." Sasuke's voice was like steel as he glared at her.

"But Sasuke…" Her eyes looked like she was about to cry but soon anger took her over. "Whose she? Some whore you picked up back in Touzoku?" Her red lips formed a sneer as she eyed Sakura's form. The nightgown she had on was a silky white one that stopped at her knees, thin straps held the dress on her shoulders.

"Leave Aria, _now!_" Sasuke growled looking absolutely furious.

"You'll regret this Sasuke." she threatened as she turned towards the door.

"I highly doubt that." Sasuke retorted before Aria slammed the door forcefully behind her.

Sakura huffed. Who did that woman think she was calling her a whore? Well she was pressed up suggestively against a half naked Sasuke but…still! Sakura quit glaring at the door that Aria had walked out of to look up at Sasuke who was again raising a brow at her. What? She had the right to glare at whoever she wanted! Sasuke smirked and leaned down, his mouth near her ear. "Where were we?"

Sakura shivered against him when his breath hit her ear. The husky tone to his voice excited her. He kissed along her jaw until he reached her soft lips and captured them with his yet again. Sakura thought she had died and gone to heaven. His tongue made its way into her mouth and Sakura lost all her earlier shyness and fought him for dominance which he won. She got even more daring and ran her tongue along his fangs making Sasuke tighten his hold on her and release a groan. She inwardly smiled at her new discovery and did it again. This time he growled warningly at her. Who knew his fangs would be so sensitive? Sasuke removed his mouth from hers so he could trail kisses down her neck and as he did so her breathing hitched. He saw the mark from where he had bitten her earlier and kissed it again.

Sasuke didn't understand how she could make him feel things he had never experienced before. Every part of him wanted to take her, claim her has his. The thought of another male touching her like he was doing made his eyes bleed to red. Again he questioned how she was able to excite those strong emotions from him. It defied all logic, but he _was_ feeling it.

Sakura's hands that were once fisted in his black hair were now running down his arms feeling the definition of his muscles. Sasuke's mouth continued to roam over her skin until the material from her nightgown prevented him from going any further. One of Sasuke's hands left her waist going up to her shoulder where the strap to her nightgown was, brushing lightly against the curve of her breast on the way.

Sakura gasped when she felt Sasuke's cool hand brush against her chest through her thin nightgown. He fingered the strap and looked into her eyes, asking permission. He didn't want to scare her away. Sakura nodded and in a second the strap was torn in half and her nightgown dropped down enough to expose her right breast to him. His hand came to cup her while he resumed kissing downward.

Sakura let out a loud moan when his mouth closed over her nipple. No one had ever touched her like he was touching her and she didn't know what to think. His tongue swirled around it and she arched her chest up into his touch. Soon his hand left their previous positions to move slowly down her back and to her rear. He squeezed her slightly and smirked against her when he heard her squeak.

Sakura's breathing was uneven and the sounds she was making served to turn Sasuke on even more. He needed to kiss her again so he left her breast to crush his lips on hers forcefully. Again their tongues fought for dominance and Sasuke kept his hands busy. Feeling the need to touch more of her soft skin he pulled her nightgown up to mid thigh. His fingers brushed her inner thigh while doing so and she shuddered and moaned against him.

Sasuke had complete control over her. He could have told her to do anything in the world and she would have done it, no questions asked for nothing more than to please him. Her whole body was tingling pleasurably from his touch. She was frightened of what was to come but too afraid to stop him for the fear of the pleasure that she was feeling would stop….if she _could_ stop him, but did she want to? No. She never wanted him to stop. She had never felt as good as Sasuke was making her feel in her entire life. His hands and lips were everywhere and she started to detest the fact that she still had her nightgown on that was hindering his movements. She knew she couldn't turn back now. She wanted him too much. She was ready. She had never been more ready for anything in her entire seventeen years of life.

She moved her hands down to the front of his pants. Her hand accidentally bumped him and he groaned loudly into her mouth. She had just managed to undo the button and zipper before she had to put her hands to her sides to allow Sasuke to push the last remaining strap off her shoulder causing her nightgown to fall to the floor. Now she was completely naked in front of him, she could feel his eyes raking over her form and she blushed while trying to cover herself with her hands. Sasuke frowned and grabbed her wrists, moving them so he could see her once again.

Her face was flushed and her uneven breathing was making her chest rise and fall in an alluring manner. She was perfect, from her emerald eyes that were glazed over in lust to her long creamy legs that he couldn't wait to have wrapped around him. The room was cold and he noticed she was shivering, he'd just have to make her forget about the cold. He smirked.

His hands gripped her thighs and hooked them over his hips, picking her up off the floor. He kissed her again as he walked backward towards his bed where he gently laid her down, him still between her legs, supporting his weight with his arms that were on either side of her head. His mind was clouded with his want for her, he had never lusted after any girl as much as he did for her but it was also more than that, more than lust. He _needed _her. It was no longer a question of what he wanted he was addicted to her soft moans and blushing face, the way her hands shyly explored him.

Sakura ran her fingers over his firm abs, smiling at the way his muscles tensed under the slightest touch from her. She knew neither one of them could wait much longer. She used her legs to push down his remaining clothes until he was able to kick them the rest of the way off. Sasuke knew it would be slightly painful for her because it was most likely her first time so he entered her quickly. Sasuke groaned and buried his face into the crook of her neck. She was so warm and tight around him, it felt incredible. He had to stop himself from pulling back out and slamming into her as hard as he could.

Sakura winced slightly as she felt the pain of her barrier being broken. He had stopped to give her time to adjust to his size and his face showed that it wasn't easy for him. His lips were slightly parted and his hands were gripping the sheets beneath them tightly, his entire posture was rigid as if afraid of hurting her more. When Sakura no longer felt any pain she lifted her hips up against his telling him it was okay for him to move.

Sasuke took it slow at first pulling out just a bit and moving back in. His pace soon turned torturous for her, "Sasuke… faster!" she whimpered against him as he picked up his pace. Sakura moaned out his name louder and louder with each thrust and he continued to go faster and harder each time until he was slamming into her and she was screaming out his name. Wave after wave of pleasure rocked through her as they continued to make love. Her entire body felt like it was on fire, she could feel something building up in her stomach. She was close but to what, she didn't know. Her fingers were gripping his strong arms tightly and her body arched up to his, trying to pull him even deeper inside her.

Sasuke continued to slam into her, fueled by her screams, until he felt her inner muscles tighten around him and heard her yell out his name, her head thrown back in pure pleasure. After a few more thrusts he climaxed as well, groaning out her name as he came. He pulled out and collapsed beside her spent. Sakura hitched a leg over his hips and used his chest for a pillow; he in turn wrapped his arms around her possessively. She was his. No man other would ever touch her like he had or see her as he had and if they even _tried_ he would kill them. He had claimed her and she was his alone. Uchiha Sasuke was _never_ willing to share what belonged to him, especially her.

* * *

Itachi sighed as he heard the moans and screams coming from the room next to his which was his brothers. So much for going back to his cabin for some nice peace and quiet. Sometimes he cursed his vampire sense of hearing, not that he wouldn't be able to hear it if he was human, wooden walls did little to keep the noise in, but his heightened hearing made the screams that much louder. _'Aria must be having a fit.' _He smirked at the thought, no wonder she had look so pissed off when he bumped into her on his way into his room. _'She must have walked in on something.'_ That thought made him laugh out loud. _'I wish I could have seen her face! Ha! Or even Sasuke's for that matter. I bet he didn't like being interrupted.' _Itachi continued to chuckle the scenario was just too hilarious for him.

As the moans and screams ceased Itachi closed his eyes and attempted to rest. It would be daylight again soon.

* * *

Short I know but hopefully it wasn't too bad. 

R&R please and tell me what you think. 


	12. Itachi Always Wins

Wow, it seems I'm addicted to this story. For some reason I can't stop writing. It helps that I have lots of time on my hands due to me being sick lol. 

I do NOT own Naruto, just this story and my OC's. 

* * *

Aria walked down the long halls of the ship, her shoes clicking on the wooden floor beneath her. To say she was angry was an understatement. Never had she been more humiliated. How dare that little bitch come in and take away what she owned? Sasuke belonged to _her._ She had claimed him from the first time she saw him and every other female on board knew it. After all it made sense; she was best looking and most talented woman on the _Crimson Flood_ so it was only natural that _she_ should be the one to be with Uchiha Sasuke. _She_ was most qualified to be his mate. Sasuke was _lucky_ to have her.

In truth though, Sasuke wasn't her first choice. First she went after the older Uchiha brother, Itachi. Both of them were extremely good looking but what made Itachi more desirable than Sasuke was power, and with power came money. The Uchiha are a very rich clan and Itachi was to be the leader of it after his father stepped down. But Itachi wasn't interested so she had settled for Sasuke. As a member of the main branch he would still have money, although not as much as Itachi, but she could make it work. At first Sasuke wasn't interested either but after a little _persuasion_ from her to the other females on board to stay away from him, she was the only one left that he could pair with. She was confident that he was about to ask her to be his mate before that pink haired bimbo showed up.

Aria walked into her room and sat in front of her mirror. Pure bloods, ones that had been born a vampire by two vampire parents, didn't have reflections. Aria however wasn't born a vampire, she was changed. Her body staying eternally eighteen, the age she was bitten, her soul being the only thing that aged with time. She stared at the image that was being reflected back to her vainly.

'_You are one hot Vampire Aria, much more beautiful than that slut Sasuke's acquired. He'll realize he's made a mistake soon enough, he just needs to get this out of his system. Then he'll come crawling back to me.' _

Aria smirked and pulled out a tube of blood red lipstick from her drawer, applying more over her full lips. When she was done she capped it and started running a brush through her long, wavy blonde hair. Her mind didn't settle after her shallow comforts like it usually did. Instead she started to doubt. What if Sasuke didn't come back to her? All her carefully made plans for her future would fail. All the power, money, property and her title would be gone. She wouldn't gain any of it. What if that pink haired freak did? No. She could NOT let that happen. She needed a plan.

'_I think its time I paid Matsuda a visit.' _

* * *

Sakura slowly opened her green eyes and yawned. Sasuke's arms around her waist prevented her from moving much, not that she wanted to. She was perfectly content to never leave this position for rest of her life. She tilted her head up to look at his face. His eyes were closed and his expression was peaceful. Did Vampires sleep? It appeared so.

Sakura reached a hand up to brush some of his dark bangs from his eyes and she smiled. Sasuke's arms tightened around her waist and his eyes opened to look at her. "I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"I wasn't sleeping." One of Sasuke's hands went to run up and down the length of her thigh in a soothing sort of motion. Sakura sighed contently and laid her head back on his chest.

As she became more awake Sakura felt that she had forgotten something, but she couldn't remember what is was that she forgot. Her brows drew together in frustration, for some reason she had a feeling that it was something important and it was really starting to bother her. Sasuke tilted her head up to his and frowned at her expression, "What's wrong?"

"I can't remember what I forgot." She seemed to be talking more to herself than him.

Sasuke raised his brow in amusement. This girl certainly was different. "Well normally when you forget something it implies that you don't remember." He smirked and Sakura narrowed her eyes at him and stuck her tongue out.

Sasuke's eyebrow rose further, "Hn. So childish." He almost wanted to laugh but instead he took advantage of her tongue being out and kissed her. At first her eyes widened but soon she melted into the kiss, her hands fisting in his hair lightly tugging it.

Their kiss was interrupted by a loud banging on his door. Sasuke sighed and moved off the bed, grabbing his pants off the floor and putting them on. Sakura quickly wrapped herself in his black sheet and reached for her nightgown but then remembered that one of the straps was broken thanks to Sasuke. He must have remembered too because he threw one of his shirts at her that she quickly put on, the banging on his door still getting louder.

Seeing that Sakura was covered by the shirt that was almost a dress on her, he answered the door. A frightened looking Hinata stared back at him. "Sasuke what took you so long? Sakura's gone! When I went back to my room she wasn't there! I remembered that she had a lesson with Kaori san scheduled today so I went to check with her but she hadn't seen her either! What if somebody got her!? You have to help me find her!" Hinata's words were flying out of her mouth a mile a minute but she stopped when she saw Sakura standing behind him. "Sakura!" Hinata's face went from shock to an almost, in Sakura's opinion, eerie smile as she noticed what her friend was wearing…and what she wasn't.

Sakura laughed sheepishly and Sasuke cleared his throat while looking away, it seemed that he now found the wall _very_ interesting. "Erm…Hi Hinata Chan, I'm sorry I worried you."

Hinata's smile just got wider, "It's okay, I see that your…well taken care of." Sakura blushed hotly. "Kaori is waiting for you on deck, I'll tell her you'll be a couple minutes." And with that she left just as quickly as she had came, Sasuke closing the door behind her.

* * *

Kaori wiped her brow with the back of her hand and smirked. She had decided to spar with one of her other students, Rin, while she waited on Sakura to appear and he was coming along nicely. Soon he might even beat her. Nobody on the ship had managed to do that so she was very impressed. "You're doing much better Rin."

"Thanks, I've been practicing." He smiled that charming smile of his that would cause any other girl to become weak in the knees.

"I'm taking on a new student today. I was wondering if you'd mind helping me with her." Kaori sheathed her twin swords signaling that their dual was over.

"Sure, I'm glad you think I'm good enough to teach someone." He brushed his brown hair out of his eyes and sheathed his sword as well.

"I was thinking more along the lines of a sparring partner." Kaori shot him a smirk that he returned.

"Of course sensei." He replied and gave a mock bow.

Sakura ran up to the pair panting and out of breath. She was back in the outfit that she had on when she went to Touzoku. "Sorry I'm late."

"That's okay, it gave me time to warm up." Kaori smiled and gestured to Rin, "Sakura this is Rin. He'll serve as a sparring partner for you during your training."

* * *

Sasuke walked to what would be the ships Recreation room where he found his brother and Naruto who seemed to be deep in conversation. Itachi spotted him first and smirked then Naruto who was smirking as well, "Yo teme come take a seat!" Sasuke mentally frowned at their weird behavior but none the less took a seat next to his brother.

"So teme how was your night?" Naruto asked while trying to hold in his smile but failed miserably. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the two of them but didn't answer.

"We were just wondering because, like I was just telling Naruto here, I heard some rather loud screams coming from your room last night so we wanted to know if everything was alright." Itachi didn't even try to hold back his smart ass smile.

"Shut up Itachi." Sasuke muttered wanting to punch his brother in the arm.

Naruto finally burst out laughing his sentences being broken up by his chuckles, "I can't believe it took you so long! I was betting that you'd take her after the first two days! Ha! Do you know how much money you made me lose?"

"You bet money on when I would sleep with her?" Sasuke's sentence came out in a deadly whisper.

"Yeah!" Naruto continued laughing oblivious to the tone of Sasuke's voice, "Shikamaru, Itachi, Kakashi and I all had a bet going! I can't believe Itachi won!"

"I told you I knew my otouto." Itachi smirked waving his newly won wad of cash in front of Naruto.

Naruto had finally stopped laughing and rolled his eyes at Itachi. "Yeah yeah. So hey Sasuke, was it good?"

Sasuke got up and walked away but Naruto and Itachi could clearly see the smirk he wore before he left. "Hey teme! Get back here I need details!" Naruto burst out laughing yet again.

* * *

Lesson for the day, never enter a bet with Itachi. Not only will he win but he won't let you forget it later. 

Some of you were wondering if Sakura would turn into a Vampire since Sasuke bit her, it will be explained later why she hasn't turned. Also if anybody is confused the thing Sakura forgot was her lesson with Kaori in the morning. 

Review please! They help give me my inspiration to write. 


	13. Playing Dirty

Wow, chapter 13 already. It seems like I just wrote chapter four yesterday. 

I do not own Naruto. 

NOTE: I have _very_ little knowledge of swords so if this chapter had errors or things that don't make sence and or sound wrong, I'm sorry.

* * *

Sakura stared at the array of weaponry in front of her, some she doubted she'd be able to lift let alone try and take a swing at somebody with them. She'd probably manage to somehow cut off her own head. However there were some smaller sized swords that she could probably learn to handle with proper training and with the way Kakashi spoke so highly of Kaori's swordsmanship skills she was sure she would have the best training available. She was still worried though, she had never handled anything bigger than a carving knife and these swords were much more deadly. Not to mention she had the habit of being sort of a danger magnet.

"I've laid out a variety of different swords. You'll be more suited for some than others. Over here we have broadswords." Kaori motioned to the larger, heavier looking swords at the end of the row of weapons, "I wouldn't suggest you use those. The broadsword is designed for cutting and hacking, you would do better with a smaller precision sword. Over there are the epée, rapier, and Katana." Kaori reached over and picked up the epée and demonstrated. She took a leap forward, thrusting the delicate looking sword out before her.

Rin turned to Sakura and grinned, "She's thrusting between your ribs. It's a quick poke that bursts your internal organs. It'll take you a day or two to die a nice, slow, torturous death." Sakura visibly paled.

"Quit scaring the girl Rin." Kaori flashed a smile, "Now we need to find the sword that fits you. It will become an extension of your body and personality. Rin here uses a broadsword as well as Naruto. Rin would you mind?"

Rin unsheathed his sword and started slicing through the air. Both sides of it razor sharp sparkled in the sunlight. Rin moved with grace and precision as he spun the sword right and left, up and down, circling it over his head and then to either side before sheathing his weapon again.

"Sasuke, Kakashi, and Itachi use a katana. Maybe you can have one of them demonstrate for you later." Kaori noticed the blush on Sakura's face when she said Sasuke's name. Suddenly she had the feeling that her being late his morning had something to do with her cousin and now that she was thinking about it she could smell Sasuke all over her. "Here, why don't you try the rapier?" Kaori handed her the sword and Sakura slipped her hand inside the swept hilt.

The sword was only a touch shorter than the broadsword but significantly lighter. "Now hold the blade out flat." Sakura extended her right arm. "Good. Now, your hand is facing upward. Your stance should be soft, your legs bent. Your weight should be even between your feet." Sakura followed her instructions and she found that she was actually enjoying herself. It certainly was better than being cooped up in a cabin staring at a wall. "How about we try a little passing forward and backward?" Sakura nodded and Kaori continued with her instructions while demonstrating the proper technique. "Your feet must never be together. If they are, you'll lose your balance." But it was too late, Sakura had landed on her butt. Rin laughed and Kaori extended her hand to help Sakura up. "Lets try again. Just move one foot at a time like me."

After a while Sakura was able to maneuver considerably without falling on her rear. "Not exactly a natural but you're getting better." Sakura smiled and went to hand Kaori her sword. "Its yours now, you should keep it with you and practice. We'll have another lesson tomorrow."

"Thank you." Sakura sheathed the sword and hooked it to her belt.

"No problem. Now if you two will excuse me Kakashi wanted to see me when we were finished." Kaori flashed a final half smile and headed off.

"You didn't do too badly for a beginner." said Rin coming to stand beside Sakura.

"Yeah, I only fell on my butt a dozen times." Sakura sighed brushing some stray bangs away from her face.

"Nah, more like two dozen." Rin laughed and gave her one of his famous smiles. Sakura couldn't help but laugh along.

* * *

Sasuke walked on deck and winced at the bright sun light. His sensitive eyes usually took a while to adjust to the contrast between the dark corridors of the ship to the extreme brightness of day.

He was officially bored _and_ annoyed. _Not_ a good combo for him. Normally during the day he'd stay in his room and rest or go hang out in the Rec. room with Naruto, Itachi, or Shikamaru. However, none of those choices had worked. He couldn't go back to the Rec. room because Itachi and Naruto were there and he didn't feel like dealing with them for a second time in the same day. He couldn't stay in his room because he was bombarded with thoughts of Sakura. It's like his mind couldn't focus on anything else but her. Everything in his room now reminded him of her. Her nightgown was still on his floor and his pillows and sheets smelled like her. His mind kept taking him back to the night before. Her legs wrapped around him, her voice moaning out his name. Ugh, there he went again. It seemed like every time he closed his eyes he saw that image.

He continued walking until he heard a familiar voice. Sakura. She really was everywhere. She wasn't alone though, there was a male voice laughing with her. Sasuke also recognized that voice, Sazao Rin. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Why was Rin with Sakura? Wasn't her appointment with Kaori? The laughing and some flirting, on Rin's part, continued. Sasuke's expression changed to a deadly but yet indifferent look and approached the pair.

Rin was well known among the ship with the women. He was a natural charmer that had a way with any girl he met. Now he had his eyes set on Sakura and Sasuke was _not_ liking it. When Rin caught sight of Sasuke he bowed slightly, "Hello, Uchiha san."

Sasuke ignored Rin's greeting and wrapped an arm possessively around a blushing Sakura's waist. While Sasuke remained quiet but his eyes that were focused on Rin clearly stated: mine!

Rin smiled undeterred about being ignored and continued, "Your cousin asked me to help her with Sakura's training."

'_Did she now? I'll have to talk to her later.' _

Sasuke yet again didn't reply to Rin. Instead he turned to speak to Sakura, "Sakura, Hinata wants you. She's in her room. I'll walk with you." Sakura nodded. Her heart rate had accelerated, it always did that when Sasuke's deep voice said her name. She said a quick good bye to Rin and left with Sasuke, his arm still around her waist.

* * *

Aria had finally found him. Who knew Matsuda would be one hard vampire to find? It had taken all of her patience not to pull out her hair in frustration and scream. She had managed to control herself though. She needed him on her side, not to run the other way screaming in fright. She took a seat beside him and gave him a sweet smile, _too _sweet. Matsuda looked confused. It wasn't everyday that somebody like Aria even looked in his direction let alone smile at him. "Matsuda I've been looking all over for you!" she continued to give him a fake smile.

"Me? Why?"

"I wanted to know if you could confirm some rumors I've been hearing about the new girl."

"Sakura?"

"Yes, I believe that was her name."

"…Okay."

"I've heard that she's Uchiha Sasuke's new plaything." Aria inwardly smiled at the look of shock and hurt that spread over the boys face. This was going to be way too easy.

"Really?"

"Yes, I also heard that you had a thing for her." Matsuda's blush was all she needed for an answer. "You know you shouldn't stand around and let her be used by Sasuke. If I were you I'd fight for her. In fact I think we could both help each other get what we want."

* * *

"I thought you said Hinata wanted me." They were walking in Sasuke's room, not Hinata's.

Sasuke closed the door behind her and pushed her against it, his body flush against hers. "I lied." He leaned down and started kissing her neck, from the spot just below her ear down to her collar bone. Sakura stopped breathing all together. His right hand ran along her thigh, his thumb making small circles against her inner thigh through the material of her pants. Her heart beat continued to race, he could almost feel it beating in her chest.

'_Hn. Let's see if I can make it beat faster.' _

Sasuke pushed his hips into her and Sakura automatically wrapped her legs around him, her ankles hooking behind his back. Sasuke couldn't help himself, he ground against her again almost hissing pleasurably at the friction.

"Sa-Sasuke kun!"

Sasuke smirked, "So its Sasuke Kun now?"

'_Okay Uchiha, two can play at this game.' _

For the second time Sakura took the initiative and kissed him, although this time it wasn't just a mere brushing of lips and for the first time _she_ dominated the kiss. Sakura did the one thing that she knew would get some sort of reaction out of him, she ran her tongue slowly along one of his fangs careful not to cut herself. Sasuke growled at her and she did it again, only this time she grinded herself against him at the same time.

Sasuke's hips jerked forward and he groaned loudly, "You're going to pay for that Sa-ku-ra."

Suddenly Sakura realized that it _might_ not have been a good idea to tease a vampire. Let alone one that had you pressed against a door and was currently pinning your arms above your head with one of his hands. Sakura squirmed against him trying to get her arms free but Sasuke was much stronger than her, she didn't stand a chance. She knew her arms wouldn't be freed unless _he_ wanted them to be. Sasuke started another attack on her neck. This time instead of just kisses he left a rather large hickie as well, marking her has his. His free hand undid her belt and let it drop to the floor and then snuck under the fabric of her shirt.

Sakura bit her bottom lip lightly as his hand traveled farther and farther up until he brushed against her breasts that were covered in their cloth binding. He expertly found the end of the cloth and started to unwind it until it was loose enough to fall around her waist leaving her exposed to his wandering hand. His thumb brushed over one of her hardened nipples and Sakura whimpered while tilting her head back and closing her eyes. Sasuke's lips descended to her ear, "Open your eyes Sakura." She obeyed and maintained eye contact with him while he slowly tortured her with his hand, Sasuke smirking all the while. She arched up into his touch and bit her lip again to keep from moaning. Then he stopped, freed her hands and set her back on the ground. Sakura was confused to say the least. First he basically pulled her back to his room and attacked her and now he was backing off just as quickly. He had gone to lie on his bed, hands behind his head and eyes closed.

Then it clicked in her Sakura's head. So that was his plan, he had said she was going to pay but she hadn't expected this. He got her all hot and bothered and the quit just like that. Sakura glared at his form on the bed. If he was going to play dirty then she would too.

* * *

For once I don't have anything to say…. Besides the following :) 

**C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only**- Thanks, I only wish my friends would have done the same. It's a little too late to save me from emotional scarring. I could write a book with all the disturbing and horrifying details from my friend Haley's stories that she just LOVES to tell me. So I'm pretty much scarred beyond compare, nothing anybody says seems to bother me anymore lol. 

Thanks to everyone that has reviewed! 

A strange force is telling you to click the button that says submit review….you should obey it! 


	14. Plots and More Plots

Short chapter but the next one should be longer. 

**sandwich-chan: **I hope this chapter answers your question. :)

Still dont own Naruto. I'm slowly giving up all hope. 

* * *

Orochimaru stood on the deck of his ship looking out at the dark blue of the water around him. He could barely make out the outline of the two ships sailing a distance in front of him. One was Kakashi's and the other, according to his sources, was a vampire hunter's ship. It seemed that neither ship realized that he was tailing them and he intended to use that to his full advantage. The timing was just too perfect. He had been unable to come up with a successful plan for taking down the _Crimson Flood_ but now it seemed as if the answer had been placed right in his lap. It would take patience on his part, but he had time. He couldn't die after all. If there was one thing the curse had taught him it was how to wait.

Orochimaru smiled, Kakashi wouldn't know what hit him. His spy aboard the ship had confirmed his suspicions of a possible mutiny and now he was making sure that it would happen. He had personally put his spy in charge of getting the mutiny going. All he had to do is give the signal and Kakashi's ship would be thrown into chaos. And now he had Vampire hunters after him, poor Kakashi. But, Orochimaru realized that if he didn't act soon those hunters could ruin his plan. Humans weren't as patient as he was. They were likely to rush in and do something stupid, driven by their hatred but he had a plan to harness that hatred and use it for his own purposes. He just had to act fast.

"Orochimaru Sama, your orders?"

"Speed us up and prepare to board the hunter's ship."

"Right away sir."

'_Soon Kakashi you'll be out of my way _permanently._' _

* * *

Sakura took one last glance at Sasuke before leaving his room. She had a plan and he was going to pay … as long as it didn't somehow back fire on her. Now she just need to find Kaori. She had originally planed to ask Hinata for help but when she had found her she was chasing a frightened looking Naruto down a hall. That was something you certainly didn't see everyday but she didn't get to stare for long because they were running pretty quickly. So now her other option was Kaori. Now she just had to remember how to get to Kakashi's cabin. Was it a left and then two rights or two lefts and then a right?

As Sakura continued walking she realized something important. She was lost. She didn't even recognize the hallway she was standing in. It was dark and the floor boards creaked in an eerie manner.

Sakura sighed. _'I just _had_ to come up with a plan to get revenge that involved me getting hopelessly lost.' _Sakura was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed the figure walking towards her until she had run into it. _'Ouch! What's a brick wall doing in the middle of a hallway?' _Sakura looked up at the said "brick wall" and gasped. _'That is defiantly not a wall.' _

"You know you really should watch where you're going." Itachi slightly laughed as he watched Sakura.

'_He looks like Sasuke kun.' _Sakura started to feel calm and at ease.

"Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke's older brother." He gave her a smile, "You must be Sakura."

Sakura nodded still surprised. For being Sasuke's brother his personality was very different than what she expected. He wasn't as cold and indifferent as she thought he would be. He actually seemed nice.

"What are you doing wandering around all the way out here? It's very easy to get lost on this ship."

"I was looking for Kakashi's room."

Itachi almost laughed, "That's all the way on the other side of the ship."

Sakura blushed from embarrassment, "Oh."

Suddenly Itachi reached out and pulled Sakura against him just in time to save her from getting run over by Naruto who was charging at full speed towards them. "Itachi! You've gotta help me!"

Itachi released Sakura and turned to look at Naruto, "What did you do now?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "I may have lost another bet."

"I would think you would have learned by now." Itachi shook his head and sighed, "What were the conditions?"

"Well since I lost…Hinata has to go on a date with Hishira."

'_No wonder Hinata Chan was chasing him when I found her.'_

Itachi raised a brow, "And what do you want me to do about it?"

"You've gotta use your freaky ability thing and calm her down! She's going to kill me!" Naruto looked truly frightened. Hinata wasn't one to get angry easily but when she did, beware.

"U-zu-ma-ki _Naruto!_"

"Eeep! Hide me!" Naruto took a dive behind Itachi and cowered, "Time to do your feel better thingy!"

Itachi looked at Hinata's furious face and smirked, "Your on your own." He stepped aside leaving Naruto without a hiding spot.

"Noooo!"

* * *

Matsuda stared skeptically at Aria. He wasn't sure if he should trust her. Her plan was too shady. What if this was all one giant joke that the others were playing on him? It wouldn't be the first time. "All I have to do is distract Sasuke?"

Aria smiled, "That's all. Leave the rest to me."

It sounded too easy to him. After all this was Aria but then he found himself believing her. He knew she wanted Sasuke, so it made sense that she would do anything to get him. Wasn't this a win-win situation? He got what he wanted and she did too, as long as they both did their jobs. But how could he trust her when she said nothing bad would happen to Sakura? He knew Aria was prone towards jealous rage but would she try to hurt her? If she did he wouldn't be able to do anything about it since he would be busy keeping Sasuke away from the pair.

"So we have a deal?" Aria stuck out her hand, her long blood red nails shone.

He was just being paranoid, "Deal." Matsuda inwardly smiled, Sakura would be his.

* * *

Sasuke opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. Sakura had been gone for a while, probably hanging out with Hinata. He sighed, she wasn't the only one affected by his little stunt a while ago. He was dealing with it just as much as she was; she wasn't the only one hot and bothered. At least he'd accomplished what he wanted. She did pay, but in the process he made himself pay as well. What if she didn't come back tonight? Or the next? Maybe she was mad at him. What if she was with Rin again? Sasuke growled. Maybe he should go after her.

Sasuke paused half way to his door. What was he doing? She would come back. Uchiha Sasuke did _not_ chase after people. He was being crazy. His old self wouldn't have cared if he never saw her again but now… it was her fault. She was doing something to him. He wasn't himself anymore.

He made his way back to his bed and laid back down. He would wait for her to come back to him. Little did he know what his Uchiha pride was getting him into.

* * *

Sakura and Itachi sat in the Rec. room, Naruto and Hinata long gone. They got along really well and Sakura found that Itachi was an easy person to talk to. She had forgotten about Sasuke and her plans for revenge for the moment. "What did Naruto mean when he told you to use your "freaky ability"?"

"He was referring to my ability to manipulate people's emotions."

Sakura looked surprised, "So you can control the way people feel?"

Itachi smiled, "That's one way to put it."

'_So that's where those feelings of calm came from when I was with him.' _

"Do other vampires have that ability?" Now Sakura was extremely curious.

"Other vampires have abilities but each person's is unique. Only pure bloods have these special "gifts" and not even all of them have it, only a select few. Sasuke can read minds, I can control people's emotions, and Hinata has visions."

"Wow… wait, Sasuke can read my mind?" Sakura's eyes widened. Some of the things she's thought about him… way too embarrassing.

"No. For some reason he hasn't been able to read yours. It's been bugging him and I've found it quite amusing." Itachi chuckled. His brother wasn't used to being blocked out.

'_That's good. I wonder why he can't read my mind though… wait Sasuke, revenge…I forgot! I guess I'll just have to do it without Kaori's help.' _

"Excuse me Itachi; I forgot I have something I need to take care of. It was nice talking to you." Sakura gave a quick bow and was out the door.

* * *

If anybody has idea's or suggestions feel free to tell me, or questions. I'll try to answer them in an authors note or I'll write something in a chapter to help clear things up. 

R&R


	15. Falling

Okay I lied, this chapter is even shorter than the other one but I wanted to end it where I did. Sorry. 

I do not own Naruto. 

**Mel Isabelle: **Yes, I'm a big twilight fan. :) 

**C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only: **Don't worry, Aria will get hers eventually. :) 

* * *

Sakura reached for the door to Sasuke's room and but stopped when her hand had grasped the handle. What if she couldn't do this after all? She was never good at this sort of thing anyway… not that she had ever attempted something like what she had planned on doing. She pulled her hand back and continued to stare at his door. Maybe she should think of something else. Her plan was to go in there and do what he had did to her, only ten-fold and then leave him, just as he had left her but now she was starting to see how her plan lacked logic. She had always thought of herself as pretty but never _sexy._ How was she supposed to walk in there and seduce a vampire? Especially when that vampire was Uchiha Sasuke who had probably had more girls than she would care to know about, all of them much more appealing than she was. The answer, she realized, was that she couldn't. Sasuke was the dominate one, the one who started things, who took charge, not her. She wouldn't know where to begin. She would probably end up looking ridiculous to him when she was trying to be seductive.

Sakura grimaced and took a step back. It really was time to find a new plan. She just couldn't go through with that one. Even if she did start, seduced him, she knew that it probably wouldn't turn out the way she wanted. Sasuke was the type of person who saw what he wanted and took it, no questions, no hesitation. If she did manage to make him want her, he would have her. She wouldn't be able to leave him there like he had done to her, he wouldn't let her and the worst part was she probably wouldn't want to once she started. Usually she had a strong will but when it came to Sasuke she knew her resolve would melt away once he started touching her. She wouldn't want to leave him. Sometimes she hated how much she wanted him.

She started walking to Hinata's room. Instead of attempting something she'd surely fail at, she'd avoid him. She wouldn't go crawling back to him like he surely thought she would. She knew he was the arrogant type, how could she not? No, she'd make him come to her and she'd deny him. She'd make him _beg _for her. Sakura almost laughed at the thought, Sasuke begging for her. It truly was a funny thing to imagine.

Sakura almost fell over when she felt the ship suddenly pitch. She could hear the loud crack of thunder coming from outside. The ship continued to roll and sway, she could barely stand up. She could hear yelling. Vampires rushed past her, running to get on deck. One of them grabbed her as they ran past, "What are you doing standing there like an idiot? You heard the order! All available hands on deck!" The vampire's voice sounded strange, as if they were trying to mask the real sound. Sakura barely had time to blink before she was being pulled along with the rest of the rushing mob.

She found herself on the deck in no time, vampires all around her rushing to steady the ship and secure items so they wouldn't fall overboard. The hard rain was soaking everything and everyone to the core, wetting the deck making conditions twice as hazardous. Kakashi was standing shouting orders loudly to his scrambling crew. Nobody looked panicked even as the ship rocked violently with the huge waves. Water crashed over the sides and splashed all around her. The vampire who had drug her along was nowhere to be seen. He or she had left her by the railing to the ship which she was now clutching onto. Her eyes scanned the deck, trying to figure out how far she was from the door leading back into the inner parts of the ship but instead her eyes landed on a figure that had been her sole purpose for lingering in that hallway.

Sasuke was standing next Matsuda, both of them holding firmly onto a rope, keeping a sail from swinging violently. He looked so steady, so unmovable despite what was going on around him. He was focused on his task, he hadn't noticed her yet. Itachi and Naruto were a couple yards away from him, securing some cannons. Sakura wished one of them would notice her, grab her hand and take her away. Her grip on the railing was slowly loosening and she was beginning to feel dizzy. She was soaking wet, the ice cold water freezing her to the bone. Her legs were going numb and wobbling underneath her.

Something hit her hard making her loose her grasp on the railing and her feet start to slip on the wet deck. Everything happened so quickly that she didn't have time to react, to save herself. She was falling over the edge. Her fingers struggled to grab a hold of one of the boards making up the railing and her body slammed into the outside of the ship knocking the wind out of her. She gasped and tried to breathe though the pain. The rain continued to pour down hard and her fingers were losing their grip on the slippery board. Tears leaked out of her eyes as she realized she wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.

She thought about Sasuke, about how she never told him that she loved him. They had been as close as two people could physically get but they hadn't ever said those three words to one another. She thought about her friends back in her old village, the ones she was forced to leave behind. Her heart wretched when she realized that she would never see any of them again, her last goodbye was a small note.

One of her hands slowly lost its grip and fell to her side. Now she was barely hanging on. She felt her index finger of her other hand slip off as well, followed by the next and the next. She closed her eyes, bracing herself to smack into the icy water below her but she never did. Just as she had let go a hand reached over and grabbed her, pulling her back over the rail and onto the deck. The person held her as she slowly let darkness consume her, slipping into unconsciousness.

* * *

Sasuke looked down at the pale girl lying in his bed. Her beautiful eyes were closed, her drenched hair clinging to her face. He had almost lost her. His chest constricted in pain. If it wasn't for Rin pulling her back at the last second she would have been gone. His un-beating heart achingly throbbed in his chest. Rin had been there for her, he had saved her. Sakura needed him and he wasn't there, Rin was. He was grateful to the man and he blamed himself completely. He had aloud himself to be distracted. He should have looked for her first before going to help.

'_She could have died.' _The thought continued to race through his mind. He hadn't lost her, but what if he would have?

His fingers traced gently over her lips and then along her jaw. Her skin was soft and smooth but slightly cold. She was wrapped in his blankets as well as Itachi's that his brother had brought over for extra warmth. He was holding her in his lap, her head resting on his chest. His body was separated from hers by the blankets. She was cold enough without his body temperature impeding her warming process. It was his entire fault, everything. If he hadn't stopped, if he would have finished what he started like he wanted to she would have been with him when the storm started. She would have been where he could watch her, make sure nothing happened to her.

He watched her breathe steadily, her chest gently rising and falling and he thanked Kami that it was. He continued to hold her fragile body closely. His hand brushed away the wet hair from her forehead and he kissed her lightly there. Her eyes fluttered slowly open and he sucked in an un-needed breath and held it at the sight of her brilliant green eyes that he thought would never look at him again. She smiled at him and he felt his heart throb again.

"Sasuke" His name came off her lips in a hoarse sort of whisper.

"Shhh" He tried to quiet her, to make her rest.

She smiled at him once again, her hand reached up to touch him, "I love you Sasuke kun." Her eyes fluttered closed again as she gave into sleep.

Sasuke's eyes widened. She loved him, she had told him she loved him. He smiled slightly, "Me too."

Too bad she was already asleep.

* * *

Dramatic chapter bet you guys didn't see that coming! Lol. 

I want to know if you guys picked up the hints I tried to give you in this chapter so REVIEW PLEASE! 


	16. No Witnesses

The last chapter was a quick change with that storm that seemed to come out of nowhere but hopefully this chapter will clear some things up for you guys. 

* * *

Matsuda charged into Aria's room, the force of his entry almost removed the door from its hinges. He was infuriated! She had lied to him! It wasn't supposed to turn out how it did. He should have known something was wrong, he should have known he could never trust her. She was in it for what she wanted and she wanted more than Sasuke, she wanted revenge and she had almost gotten it.

Aria was sitting in front of her mirror as always, staring into her reflection. She truly was in love with herself. She didn't even flinch at Matsuda's intrusion; she barely seemed to notice he was there at all. _'I almost won, I was so close. Next time there will be no mistakes.' _

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Matsuda yelled his face showed absolute rage, "You said nothing would happen to her!"

"I lied." She turned to face him, no emotion was on her face, her voice was just as void, "She was in my way. She had to be removed."

"You tried to kill her! How could you?! What did she do to you that granted you the right to _kill_ her?!"

"She tried to take what was _mine_!" Aria was now yelling, her icy blue eyes flashed in rage. "Don't act like your so innocent Matsuda. You had a part in her attempted murder just as I did. The only difference was I was the one who physically pushed her off the edge but you, you might as well have."

"That's not true!"

"As I remember it you were eager to go with this little plan. You did your job and you did it well." Aria's voice took on a sneer mocking tone.

"Shut up!" Matsuda clutched his head in his hands. She was right, he went along with her plan, no questions asked.

-

Kaori walked down the halls stopping at every door that she passed and knocking. Kakashi had informed her that a storm was heading their way and had asked her to inform the crew. Of course she couldn't tell each one individually so she told people to pass the word around before reporting to the deck. Soon she'd have to go there herself but she wanted to inform at least one of her cousins first.

"Kaori san Kakashi wants you on deck as soon as possible."

Kaori looked up at the young vampire and nodded, "Matsuda, inform Sasuke of what's going on. I haven't gotten to his room yet."

Matsuda bowed and started in the direction of Sasuke's room. _'This is going better than we planned.' _

-

It had been easy for him to distract Sasuke once he had told him that Sakura was secure in Hinata's room. He had carried out his part. He didn't want her to die. He didn't know what she was planning. He didn't know. Matsuda collapsed, head still in his hands.

"You see? This is all _your_ fault." Aria was circling his crumpled form on the floor, "If you would have asked questions, demanded answers, if you hadn't been so trusting you could have saved her but you didn't. You secretly _want_ her dead don't you?!"

"No!" Matsuda was now repeatedly yelling the word, his hands pulling on his dark hair. He was laying on the floor, his entire body shaking.

Aria sneered and lowered herself, her lips centimeters from his ear. "Yes."

Matsuda let out a scream of agony, the last sound he ever made. Aria pulled a dagger out of her sleeve and plunged it through his heart. His mouth fell open again in a silent scream. She twisted the decent sized dagger before yanking it out. His body started to convulse painfully on the wooden floor, his eyes rolling to the back of his head before he was reduced to nothing but a pile of ashes. Aria picked up his shirt and wiped off her blade. _'No witnesses.' _

* * *

Sakura's eyes opened for the second time since her ordeal. Sasuke was still holding her and she decided that waking up in his arms was one of the best feelings in the world. His hold on her loosened so she could stretch, she felt ten times better than she had a few hours ago. "How long was I out?" she yawned.

"A while, its night again." His deep voice soothed her and she leaned against him again, his head buried in the crook of her neck. She sighed in contentment, one of her hands snuck out of the blanket to run down his arm that was wrapped around her. "Are you hungry?"

Sakura's stomach growled and she blushed. She hadn't eaten since breakfast besides an apple that she grabbed when she was on her way to the Rec. room with Itachi. Sasuke laughed lightly and set her down on his bed so he could get up. "I'll get you something, be right back."

She frowned when he walked out the door, she didn't want him to leave her but she _was_ hungry. Her stomach growled again and she rolled her eyes. Memories of what happened and what _almost_ happened on deck ran through her head. She didn't want to think about it. She hadn't died, she was fine. She wanted to move on and forget it happened. She stood up and walked around his room, looking at everything. She hadn't had a change to explore his room and it might help her take her mind off of things.

His room was impeccably clean, nothing out of place. His katana was resting in a corner of his room by his door. His bed was in the other corner of that side of the room, pushed up against the wall. All the furniture was nailed to the floor to keep it from sliding during a storm like the one they just had. His desk had a few books and papers on it. Sakura walked over to check out the title of the books, she loved to read but instead she had focused on a letter that was sitting on top of all the other papers. The printing on it was incredibly neat. It was none of her business what it said but she was curious. Her eyes scanned over it and she frowned. It didn't make any sense to her. It was from his father. What did he mean by becoming human? Sasuke was a vampire, was it possible for him to become human? If so, how? Why did he join Kakashi's crew? Did the two things have something in common?

"I've got your food if you're still hungry."

"Sasuke!" Sakura set down the letter and bowed her head, "I'm sorry. I was looking around and I saw it and I guess I got curious and I know I shouldn't ha-"

"It's fine." He didn't sound angry so Sakura looked up at him again, he sounded sad. "Here." He handed her a plate and she sat down on his bed again.

"Go ahead and ask. I know you want to." He gave a slight crooked smile and ran a hand through his hair.

"How is it possible for a vampire to turn human?" her eyes showed confusion and genuine curiosity.

Sasuke explained about Kakashi's crew and what they were trying to do. About the witch Mira, her cave, and the power it held. Sakura listened quietly the entire time, eating while she listened.

"Why do you want to become human?"

"When I was younger I wanted to be human, to be normal."

"And you don't anymore?"

"I don't know what I want anymore." Sasuke sighed, "I had a friend when I was about eight, he was human. His family knew I was different, wondered why I was always out at night. They didn't like him hanging out with somebody like me. The humans used to call my family and I freaks, nobody wanted to be around us but he did. Of course none of them knew what we were."

Sakura's eyes softened as she stared at him. He was talking to her about something he'd probably never told anyone before. "It must have been hard."

"He was probably my best friend. When I was nine he died of malaria. We had both been exposed to it but me being a vampire I didn't die. His parents were angry at me, that I, the freak, had lived when their son had died. If I had been human I probably would have died as well and at that time, I wished I would have."

"I'm glad you didn't. I don't know what I would do if I had never met you Sasuke." Her voice was small, "You don't need to be human for people to accept you. Look at Naruto, I know you guys fight but I can see that you're actually good friends and I… I love you just the way you are." A tear escaped her eye and he reached over and wiped it away.

"Sakura" He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, "Arigato."

* * *

Well Matsuda's dead, I know some of you aren't too heart broken over that lol. 

**C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only: **Congratulations, you were right. 

**Mel Isabelle: **I'll try to make them longer but the way I write is that I make the chapters shorter and update faster opposed to longer chapters and longer times between updates. 


	17. Jealousy and Cheaters

Today I had extra time before school (two hour delay) and during once I was done with my exam so I used my free time to write this chapter. I believe its slightly longer than previous ones…by about a page lol. But hey, it's a start! 

* * *

"Talking"

_'thinking' _or _past scene_

* * *

Sakura rolled over so she was no longer facing the wall. She pulled the black sheets closer to her and sighed contently. She almost wanted to go back to sleep. Sasuke had tired her out a few hours ago but she couldn't seem to sleep without him beside her, wrapped in his arms. After he had told her his story they made love again. He had left after she woke up saying that Naruto had wanted to see him. She wanted to hit Naruto at the time but now she just wanted to lay there and think, something that would have been impossible if Sasuke were there because she got distracted just by his presance.

Sasuke hadn't been like he was the first time they had sex, he was gentle with her. Not that he wasn't gentle the first time but this was different. His touches were more loving than anything else. He went slow and paid attention to every part of her body, kissing and touching. The whole thing seemed to be about pleasing her. In that moment she felt more loved than she ever had in her entire life. He never said the three words but she could feel it in the way he handled her.

Thinking about him and what they did had her blushing. She still blushed when he would touch her like he did. She doubted she'd ever stop. He seemed to enjoy it when her cheeks turned the color of her hair. She guessed it was because he liked the fact that he could tell he had an affect on her. She was sure that even if she didn't blush he could tell because of the way her heart raced when he only spoke her name. She looked at his side of the bed and wished he was there.

She knew attempting sleep was futile so she swung her legs over the bed and stood up. She looked around trying to locate all the pieces of her clothing that had been unceremoniously discarded all those hours ago. She found everything quickly except for one of her boots that she eventually found under his bed. She noticed that his katana was missing from its spot in the corner, come to think of it, she'd never seen him in public without it. She hooked her own sword to her belt and headed out.

She found him on deck sparring with Naruto. He moved swiftly and with a deadly gracefulness. He made no purposeless movements. He was fast, extremely so. Naruto was having trouble keeping up with his attacks. His face was blank but his eyes showed his concentration. He never took his onyx orbs off of his opponent. It was night and the full moon casting its light down on them made it easy for her to watch their sparring. Naruto managed to slice his arm causing some crimson blood to stain his shirt but he didn't seem to notice. Eventually it ended with both men calling a tie, both had their swords to the others neck.

Naruto broke out into a full ear to ear smile, "I almost had you that time teme!"

"Hn. You wish dobe." Sasuke had a small trace of a smile on his face as well.

"Hey Sakura Chan!" Naruto waved her over, still beaming. She noticed that he always seemed to be smiling. "You're lucky I didn't beat you teme, wouldn't want to look bad in front of your woman." Naruto laughed loudly.

"Tch. You're lucky _I_ didn't annihilate you when I had the chance, wouldn't want Hinata to come after me though." Sasuke smirked as he went up behind Sakura and hugged her around the waist.

"Wow teme! Public displays of affection, not like you. I think _somebody_ is getting soft." Naruto stated in a sing song voice while clasping his hands and batting his eye lashes.

"Hn. Stop doing that dobe, you look like an idiot."

Naruto ignored Sasuke and looked at Sakura who the Uchiha was still holding, "Good job Sakura Chan! He's already being affectionate in public, you'll have him trained in no time!"

Sakura giggled and Sasuke raised a brow, "You mean like how Hinata has you trained?"

"She does not have me trained! Uzumaki Naruto is …un-trainable!"

"Sure, and that's why all she has to do is give you one look and your like jelly." Sasuke's arrogant smirk was making its way on his face again.

"Okay I admit it, I'm whipped but I'm not the only one my friend. You're the worst out of both of us." Naruto was now wearing a smirk matching Sasuke's whose disappeared.

"What did you say dobe?" Sasuke glared, his grip on Sakura's waist unconsciously tightening slightly.

"You heard me! Your W-H-I-P-P-E-D whipped!"

Sasuke's glare lessened being replaced with his impassive face, "Hn. Whatever dobe."

Sakura couldn't help it, she let another giggle out which caused both men to look at her. They were just too funny! Sasuke glared playfully at her and Naruto broke out into a chuckle as well. "She's a keeper Teme, don't let her get away."

'_I don't intend to.' _

"Hn." Sakura blushed at the complement and Sasuke did something surprising. He bent his head down and kissed her neck lovingly despite the deck being full of vampires who were now all watching them, well mainly him. Most of the crew didn't even talk to him on a regular basis, he scared them. He seemed so emotionally detached from everything and everyone that it shocked them to see him openly showing affection. Some of the girls swooned and awed while others glared, wishing they were Sakura.

"Well Teme I'll see you later. I have to go talk to Hishira and see if I can get Hinata out of that date before she refuses to talk to me again." Naruto smiled and turned, leaving the couple alone.

Sakura still blushing hotly after Sasuke's little display waved after him. Sasuke looked around at the male vampires and glared. They must have forgotten he could read their minds, thus hearing all the things they were wanting to do to _his_ Sakura. Some of them just made comments in their minds about her being "hot" but others were imagining she was theirs and what they would do. Sasuke could not only hear their thoughts, he could see what they were imagining in his head.

'_It's like their fucking screaming it at me.' _

One of the males about seven yards away was picturing a naked Sakura writhing under him while he pounded into her roughly. Sasuke's Sharingon activated and he sent the man one of the most murderous looking glares he had. Oh yes, if looks could kill that man would be six feet under. The man's eyes widened realizing that Sasuke had seen everything he was thinking. He quickly turned in the other direction and almost ran in fright from the dark aura the Uchiha as emitting.

Sakura felt the murderous aura and tilted her head back to look at him. He looked terrifying with his Sharingon activated glare and his perfect mouth set in a severe scowl. "Sasuke kun?"

Sasuke looked down at her and took in her outfit. Her red shirt was low cut, showing off some cleavage and it clung to all her curves. Her brown pants fit her well too, showing off her shapely hips and legs. Her black boots that stopped just below her knee's seemed to be the only thing that wasn't showing anything. Sasuke_ had_ liked the outfit but now he was thinking about never letting her out of his room with it on. He would give her one of his shirts to wear that was baggy on her, yeah.

Seeing that Sasuke seemed to be caught up in his own thoughts she decided to talk, "Sasuke kun, I want to go see Rin tonight. I need to thank him." Sasuke had explained to her that Rin was the one who saved her and she felt that she owed him a thank you.

Sasuke broke out of his thoughts and nodded, "I'll take you now." He just wanted to get her out of the view of his male crewmates who were _still_ fantasizing about her.

* * *

_A woman with long silver hair walked down a bright hallway. Her electrifying blue eyes searched for the door of her best friend's room. Servants who passed her bowed with respect. She stopped in front of a large mahogany door and pushed it open, not even bothering to knock. She knew she was expected. "Mira, he's here." _

_A black haired woman turned to look at her, she smiled and stood up. "How do I look?" The woman's hair was pulled back in a half pony tail, raven bangs hanging in front of her dark blue eyes. She was wearing a long white dress that flowed gracefully down to her ankles. _

"_Wonderful as always." The silver haired woman, Kimi, smiled at her best friend. Mira always had a way of practically glowing when her lover came to see her. Kimi had never really sat down and talked to the man. She had met him a few times, briefly though. They only ever exchanged hellos and sometimes the occasional complement. However, there was something about the man that she just didn't like. He looked nice enough but she always got a strange vibe from him. She never told Mira about it because her friend would just laugh and tell her she was being silly. Love truly could blind people and if this man had any flaws, Mira was sure to not notice them. In her mind, he was perfect. _

_Mira gave a twirl in front of her mirror as if to check her appearance one last time before she went to meet him. He would always be waiting for her in her living room, always sitting on the same couch. _

"_Kimi you really should come with me to see him. I know you two would get along great!" Mira's expression was excited and her eyes pleading. Kimi sighed playfully and allowed herself to be pulled from the room. _

_-_

_When they reached the living room it was empty. "I thought you said he was here?" _

"_One of the servants approached me and said they saw him walk in the door. Maybe he got bored and started to wander around?" _

"_Maybe. Will you help me look?" _

"_Sure." Kimi and Mira walked in opposite directions, looking in each door as they went. _

_After a while when they hadn't found him Mira gave up and went to join her friend who was about to do the same until she heard some noises coming from a closet to her left. The noises sounded like moans. _

'Must be some of the servants messing around again.'

_Kimi opened the door and gasped in shock. She hurried to close it before the occupants of the room or her friend noticed, but she was too late. "Come on, we haven't looked in here yet." Mira reached for the handle only to be pushed back by Kimi who threw herself between her and the closet. _

"_Y-you don't want to go in there!" _

_Mira narrowed her eyes in suspicion before pushing past her friend and opening the door. The sight that welcomed her tore her heart into two very jagged pieces. _

_There stood a very human –less pale looking- and half naked Orochimaru with one of her maids in a similar state of undress sprawled over him. _

"_H-how could you?!" The scream came out in a sort of choked sob. _

_Orochimaru's eyes widened and he pushed the maid off of him roughly. "Mira!" _

_The sobbing woman took off down the hall. Orochimaru attempted to go after her but was stopped by a hard shove which sent him flying backward and onto his rear. Kimi advanced towards him, her blue eyes luminous with rage. "How _dare _you?!" Her fist flew back and struck him square in the face, blood leaking out of his nose. _

* * *

Yes, Orochimaru was Mira's lover. She was the person he was dreaming about in the first chapter. The scene in italics happened a LONG time ago. I will continue these flash backs because they are eventually going to be necessary for you to understand the story. I hope I haven't managed to confuse anyone, if I have feel free to ask a question in a review of PM me. 

NOTE: Human Orochimaru looks like he did when he was pretending to be the sensei for the sound team during the chunin exams. 

**Mel Isabelle: **I don't know how many chapters I'm going to end up having (I'm terrible at chapter math) but I do know its not going to end anytime soon. It may seem strange but I just got into the main plot of the story, yeah I know, took me a while huh? Lol. 

**XxBlackRose02xX: **I pronounce it as Ah-re-a :) you were close lol. 

**C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only: **Don't worry I have something planned :) lol. 

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, if I didn't respond to you personally its because my response is a "THANK YOU!! :)" to all of you and instead of writing that eight times I just grouped it together. 

Review please, it helps to know your thoughts and suggestions. 


	18. The Inn

Again this one is _slightly_ longer than the usual. Normally its only about three and a half pages (pathetic I know) but this one is almost six. 

I do not own Naruto, just my OC's and my plot. 

Thank you to all you awesome people who have reviewed so far and a special thanks to those of you who review every chapter. 

**anime59: **Yes I did get that idea from there. I'm a big fan of the movies :)

**XxBlackRose02xX: **Thanks, I have another Exam today for math. I'm not feeling to confident about that one lol. 

WARNING: This chapter contains a lemon. I'm telling you now. 

* * *

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

_Past Scene. _

* * *

Sakura and Sasuke had managed to hunt Rin down after about fifteen minutes of wandering around the ships seemingly endless lines of hallways. He was in the Rec. Room talking to another vampire. Sakura didn't interrupt so she waited patiently until he was done. They were talking in hushed tones and even Sasuke with his sensitive hearing couldn't understand what they were saying. Both of them looked extremely serious but eventually the conversation ended with the other vampire leaving the room in a sort of rush.

The meeting had gone much better than Sakura had anticipated. She thought it was going to be difficult due to all the tension between Sasuke and Rin that she had witnessed earlier on deck but even the Uchiha had verbally thanked the man.

Rin smiled at the couple in front of him. "It's okay Sakura. I couldn't let my sparring partner fall of the ship now could I?" Rin always had a way of taking a heavy situation and making the people involved feel at ease.

Sakura laughed, "I guess not."

"Well I guess I'll see you tomorrow. I have something that I need to attend to." Rin gave one last smile before he left them in the Rec. Room.

Sasuke made his way over to one of the large padded chairs and took a seat sighing. He looked tired; the dual with Naruto wore him out even further than he already was. Sakura walked over and sat on the arm of the chair only to have Sasuke pull her into his lap. She leaned back into his chest and let his arms wrap possessively around her waist. "Kakashi says we're stopping again soon. Apparently we're going to some sort of an Inn so he can meet with somebody and the crew can have a break."

"When are we going to get there?" Sakura couldn't wait. An Inn meant there was a chance that there were some hot springs around to bathe in. On the ship they had basins filled with water, rags, and soap but nothing beat a soak in a hot spring.

"We should be there by morning." Sasuke answered, his face buried in the crook of her neck.

Sakura could tell how tired he was, even his voice was showing it. As she leaned into him she could feel how tense his muscles were and she got an idea, "Let's go back to the room Sasuke kun." She was turned around so she could whisper in his ear.

"Hn." Sakura pulled him from the chair and continued to drag him down the hall.

* * *

_Kimi walked into her best friend's room. Broken glass lay scattered around, each piece jagged and razor sharp. A broken vase was in the middle of the glass. It was the object that had been chucked at the floor length mirror in order for it to shatter. She approached Mira who was sitting on her bed, her hand resting on her now bulging stomach. _

"_I hate him! I hate him for leaving me like this!" _

_Kimi looked down at where a baby was currently growing inside her friend. "It's going to be okay. You have to calm down now; it's not good for the baby." _

"_I don't even want this baby!" Mira cried, her body shaking with the force of her sobs._

"_Mira," Kimi's voice was gentle but firm. "Remember how excited you were when you found out you were having a baby? The father screwed up big time and you don't want anything to do with him, I understand but that baby can't help its father's mistakes. That child is just as much yours at it is his and you need to be there for it." _

"_I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" _

_Kimi took the sobbing woman into her arms, stroking her hair in a soothing motherly fashion. "Shhh. It's going to be okay." _

* * *

The masked figure made his way into Kakashi's room. The man really should learn to lock his door. His eyes darted all around, looking over the entire perimeter of the room. _'Where could he be hiding it? Somewhere out of sight no doubt.' _His gaze fell to a large wooden desk against the wall. _'Of course.' _

The figure looked through every drawer thoroughly and found nothing. Nothing even _close_ to what he was looking for. He searched the rest of the room the same way, not overlooking the slightest place that the item could be hiding behind, in, or under. Everything that he moved was immediately put back in its original place. He was very careful. _'Damn it! He must have it with him! How the hell am I supposed to get it now?' _The man clenched his fists. He _had_ to have that object. If he didn't Orochimaru was sure to punish him severally for his incompetence. _'I'll just have to wait for another opportunity to present itself.' _

* * *

Sasuke sighed contently as Sakura's hands massaged his shoulders, working away all the tension from his muscles. She giggled lightly when he leaned back into her touch, closing his eyes. She thought his current facial expression made him look adorable but if she voiced that thought it would probably get her into trouble, or he would huff and pull away. Neither option sounded good to her so she continued to watch him instead.

"Sasuke kun?"

"Hmm?"

She almost laughed at how relaxed he sounded. "You said we would be docking in a few hours right?"

"Yes." His tone hinted for her to explain her question.

She stopped massaging him which earned her a grunt in protest and came to sit in his lap. "If you're going to walk around in the sun don't you need to feed again?"

"Yes."

Sakura pulled her pink hair back exposing her pale neck to his hungry eyes. Sasuke lifted one of her legs over his so she was straddling him and pulled her close. His lips brushed lightly over her collar bone. He could feel the sweet blood pulsing through her. He moved his lips to the base of her neck and let his fangs sink into her. She let out a slight gasp at the feeling and leaned into him further, her hands going to fist in his hair. He almost groaned, her blood was intoxicating him and the way she was sitting on him, pressing against him in all the right places made him forget about the tiredness he had been feeling earlier. He retracted his fangs and moved back to look at her face, licking his lips to remove any trace of the sweet coppery liquid.

She watched him lick his lips and she bit her bottom one as she stared at his mouth. A smirk made its way onto those perfect lips of his. He grabbed her ass and he pressed her against him harder. Sakura half moaned his name. His smirk grew more prominent. "What is it Sa-ku-ra _Chan_?" It was the first time he ever added the suffix to her name. She trembled against him. How was it possible that someone's voice could be so god damned _sexy_? It should have been a sin, it probably was.

He moved one of his hands to run up and down her back causing a pleasurable tingling sensation, his fingers barely grazing her. Catching what he wanted she raised her arms so he could pull her shirt off of her and discard it somewhere on the other side of the room. He looked down at the bindings around her chest and frowned. They were always in his way. He reached out to undo them but stopped when he saw a finger wagging in front of his face. Sakura was shaking her head no while reaching for the hem of his shirt. Sasuke raised a brow but complied with her demand, lifting the offending material from his body.

Sakura ran her fingers over his toned chest down to his wonderful six pack abs. Besides his eyes they were one of her favorite features of his. His hands went back to their job of removing her constricting bindings. It didn't take him long; he seemed to be a master at it. She didn't want to think about how he got to be so good at it so instead she nipped lightly at a place just below his right ear. It was a sensitive spot of his that she had found earlier. She loved the sounds he would make when she paid attention to that spot. It gave her the feeling of being in control of him, even just slightly. She loved the feeling of being dominated by him but it was nice to be the dominate one once in a while even if it didn't last long.

One of Sasuke's hands played with one of her breast while a finger of his other hand hooked in the waistband of her pants tugging slightly to hint at what he wanted. Sakura stood so she could remove her pants. Once those and her boots were on the floor Sasuke tossed her lightly on the bed. Before he moved to climb on top of her she looked at his own black pants, "Take them off."

Sasuke raised a brow again but did what he was told. He didn't know what had came over his usually submissive Sakura but he liked it. He settled himself between her legs, grinding into her slightly, letting her see how much he wanted her. Sakura moaned and tried to position herself so he would slip into her but he wouldn't give her what she wanted. She almost cried in frustration, he was teasing her!

He instead moved down her body placing kisses as he went, stopping for a short time to pay attention to her perfect breasts. Sakura's whole body was tingling pleasurably from his touch. He stopped when he reached her lower stomach and then moved directly down to lay kisses on her inner thigh; skipping the place she wanted his touch the most. She whimpered when his lips continued to move farther up her thigh only to stop again before he hit that special part of her. He could tell she was getting frustrated with him. He moved back up so he could kiss her, his hand staying between them, brushing over the bundle of sensitive nerves between her legs.

Sakura moaned into his mouth and tried to move into his hand only to have him pull it away. She growled at him and he chuckled darkly against her. "Patients Sa-ku-ra." He smirked at her. She didn't want to be patient! She wanted him now! She wrapped her legs around him causing him to brush against her entrance. She tried to move her hips up to meet his but Sasuke's hands on her waist were holding her down. "Sasuke!" she pleaded with him, still struggling against his hold. She could feel his smirk against the skin of her chest where his head was resting.

Suddenly Sasuke slammed into her unexpectedly causing her to scream out his name in surprise and pleasure. Her nails dug into his back as he continued to thrust into her harshly. He wasn't holding back this time. Her entire body screamed with the pleasure that rocked her when she hit her first orgasm for the night. Sasuke however, wasn't showing signs of stopping. He continued to pound into her until she felt that feeling in the pit of her stomach build up again. Her breaths were coming out in short pants and she felt as if she were loosing all her strength.

All of a sudden Sasuke started moving faster, now going at an inhuman pace. He was getting close, he could feel it. He moved even harder and faster, desperate for his release. Sakura came first screaming his name. The feeling of her inner muscles tightening around him caused Sasuke to hit his peak as well. He rested his forehead against hers while she caught her breath.

Sasuke pulled out of her and flipped their positions so she was lying on top of him, her head resting comfortably on his chest. She placed a kiss to his chest and sighed contently, his hand playing with a lock of her pink hair. It was then that both of them noticed that the ship had stopped moving. "I don't think I want to leave the ship." Sakura muttered snuggling closer to her lover.

Sasuke chuckled, "We have to. I don't know where he's headed; you don't want to be left behind do you?"

"I'd be fine with not leaving this spot…._ever_."

"Don't tempt me Sakura." Sasuke warned, still playing with her hair.

"What if that's what I want?" Sakura asked back smirking.

"Hmm. It doesn't matter because if we don't show up soon the dobe will come looking for us."

"Fine."

'_Damn Naruto.' _

* * *

Kakashi led his crew off the ship. It was a beautiful day so it made their walk much more enjoyable. The light blue sky barely had a cloud in sight (much to Shikamaru's dismay), the wind wasn't too strong, just strong enough to become a nuisance when it blew hair into peoples faces blocking their line of sight. He had been needing to come here for some time. He hoped the person he was looking for still resided here and that she was even still alive. She _was_ getting pretty old now a days. Last week would have been her what? 90th birthday? People didn't usually live that long these days.

When they reached the Inn a cheer was heard from some of the female members of the crew, Sakura included. Kakashi had confirmed for them that there was indeed a hot spring near by and now it was probably going to be full of vampires tonight. "Now, they don't have much business around this time of year so we should have the Inn mostly to ourselves. Each room had two beds, we're going to need to put four people in each room if we're all going to fit so start thinking about who you want to room with."

Sakura stared up at her lover who stood about a head taller than her. "Who are we going to room with Sasuke kun?"

"Hey teme! Want to room with Hinata and me!?"

Sasuke sighed, "There's your answer I guess."

Sakura smiled, she'd be sharing a room with Hinata again. She had missed talking to her friend since she moved in Sasuke's room. "You don't sound too happy about it." Sakura laughed, "I'm sure it won't be that bad."

"Hn. That's because you haven't heard Naruto's insanely loud snoring."

Sakura grimaced, "It isn't that bad is it?"

Sasuke gave her the most deadpan look she had ever seen, "Yes."

* * *

There were probably lots of gramar mistakes like usual so sorry. I know that can get annoying. 

Reveiw please!


	19. Hot Spring Interrogations

Well I tried making chapters longer but it doesn't work for me, sorry. So they'll be the usual length but that means I should be able to update everyday or every other day. So that's good news right? 

**I don't own Naruto just my OC's and this plot. **

**em0anime: **Sweet. I was worried I made tons. 

**XxBlackRose02xX: **Thanks, that what I was trying to do but I hadn't thought I succeeded. I did study but I think I failed the Exam, math isn't my best subject. Lol. 

**Darkness-Fox: **Thanks, I'm hoping to keep you all surprised about those issues lol. 

**gaaras-loner: **Thanks, people are telling me that they like his persona but I didn't think I did that good a job on it lol. The next chapter will have some SasuSaku fluff don't worry lol. 

**Neko Grafic: **…it does sound weird lol. 

**anime59: **Looks like you were on the right track lol. 

* * *

Kakashi's eyes swept over the Inn's main room. It wasn't a huge establishment but it wasn't small either. It seemed well kept with its clean tables, bright white curtains, and there wasn't a speck of dust in sight. A figure sitting alone at one of those clean tables in a far corner of the room caught his gaze. Her gray hair was pulled back into a tight bun behind her head. Streaks of her original hair color, black, were mixed in occasionally. Her dark eyes that were staring down at her pale wrinkled hands snapped up to meet his. Kakashi smiled at the woman and started towards her. She smiled back.

"Kakashi, it's been far too long." She embraced him warmly from her sitting position.

"It has. How have you been?"

"Oh I'm still alive." She shrugged and then gave him a knowing look, "Now, to what do I owe the pleasure of this meeting? I highly doubt you made the trip all the way out here just to make polite conversation with an old woman such as myself."

Kakashi smiled. This woman knew him well enough to pick up on his hidden agenda. "I was wondering if you could help me with this." He set a book on the table. It was thick and leather bound. Strange designs covered the front and back and it seemed to be locked but there was no place for a key.

The woman's expression changed to an awed sort of excitement as she stared at the

familiar object. "I haven't laid eyes upon this in a very long time." The woman picked up the book, her crooked fingers running over the cover. She stopped over a circular indent and white light shot from her fingers into the book. As the white light moved across the cover the designs started to glow and very slowly the binding that locked the book moved away.

Kakashi watched as the woman opened the book to reveal blank pages until the same white light that had opened the book illuminated glowing red script. He couldn't make out what language the book was in. It wasn't like anything he had ever seen before. "Can you read it?"

The woman looked at him and raised a brow, "Of course I can."

Kakashi felt like a four year old who had just asked the stupidest question known to man. He cleared his throat and continued, "What does it say?"

The woman's eyes shifted around the room, "Not here. It's not safe."

Kakashi nodded realizing that a room full of people was not the best place to discuss the kind of information that the book probably held. "You'll have to come with us."

"Kakashi, I'm an old woman, far too old to run around the world on your little adventures."

"It's the safest place. I need your help Hama."

The woman stared at Kakashi and sighed. "Fine. Just stop giving me that look. I don't know how your mother or your grandmother could be unaffected by it." She shook her head and muttered something that sounded like "cheater".

Kakashi smiled in victory. "Great. We leave tomorrow."

* * *

Sakura immersed herself in the warm water, only coming up when she could no longer hold her breath. The hot springs were amazing. The main and larger ones were already occupied by other members of the crew when she, Kaori, Hinata, and a girl that she had just met by the name of Ino, had gotten there but thanks to Hinata's Byakugan they had been able to find some smaller ones hidden near by.

"Hey Hinata, can the Byakugan see thru peoples clothes?"

The Hyuga woman's mouth gaped in surprise for a moment before she answered, "I w-wouldn't know Ino san."

Kaori and Sakura glanced at each other and then burst out laughing at what Ino said next, "Like you haven't tried it on Naruto before."

If Hinata could blush she would have been as red as a tomato, "I have no idea what your talking about." She sunk down in the water until only the top of her head, eyes, and nose were visible above the water.

"Oh leave the poor girl alone Ino." Kaori managed to get out between fits of chuckles.

"I was just curious." Ino stated putting on an innocent face, well, as innocent as she could get it.

Sakura looked over at Hinata sympathetically and sunk even further into the water herself so the tops of her shoulders were barely above the water. "Does anybody know how long we're staying here?"

"I'm not sure. I'll ask Kakashi for you later tonight." Kaori answered, pulling her hair out of its signature pony tail, her black and electric blue hair cascading down and into the water.

"Well before we leave I want to stop here again." Sakura's statement earned agreeing nods from the other three girls.

"Who are you rooming with Sakura?" Kaori asked, avoiding a slash made by Ino.

"Sasuke kun, Hinata Chan, and Naruto."

"So you and Sasuke are together now?" asked Ino while moving some blonde hair out of her face.

"Hai."

"So how is he?"

"He's fine…" Sakura trailed off not sure of what to say.

"No darling, I mean how _is_ he? He can't be that good a lover. He's so cold and emotionless."

'_That's what you think! Sasuke kun is an _amazing_ lover.' _Sakura blushed heavily at Ino's question and then even more at her own thoughts.

"You're just saying that because you tried to get him and he didn't want you." Kaori defended Sakura, "Now, can we change the subject? I _really _don't need or even _want_ to know how my cousin is in bed." She gave a shiver of terror at the thought. _'…Ew!' _

'_So Ino used to like Sasuke Kun huh? She better stay away.' _

"No we can't change the subject, I want to know! Man up Kaori, its not like you haven't heard other girls swoon about him and his-" she made air quotes- "_talents_."

"I have and I don't care to hear any more!" Kaori dunked herself under the water in a childish fashion so she wouldn't have to hear the rest of the conversation. It was better than her original idea of putting her hands over her ears and yelling la la la I can't hear you!

Sakura continued to blush and bite her lip. She didn't feel comfortable answering Ino's question. Her sex life was something she preferred to keep private. After all that _is_ why people call it a private life.

"Just say yes or no. Is he good?"

"H-hai."

"Better than just good?"

"Much better." Sakura wanted to curl up in a ball and die. Where was Sasuke when she needed him?

* * *

Sasuke laid back on the bed and closed his eyes trying to ignore Naruto who was currently going on about ramen. That man was obsessed with the food! If he spent as much time practicing his swordsmanship skills as he did eating ramen he might be able to beat Sasuke in a spar once in a while but that was wishful thinking Sasuke decided. How could he have so much to say about a little cup of noodles? It wasn't logical but then again logical wouldn't be a word Sasuke would use if he was asked to describe his friend slash rival.

"…and then there's miso ramen…"

Sasuke clamped a pillow over his head and grunted, "Shut._Up_!"

"You just can't appreciate the fine things in life Teme."

"Yes I can. I _appreciate_ fine things like peace and _quiet!_ Which you've probably never heard of."

"Shut up Teme!"

"Dobe."

"Teme!"

"Dobe!"

"Ugh. Why'd Hinata Chan have to leave me here with _you_?"

'_Because she wanted to get away from you and your obsessive ramen rant?' _

"Believe me, I wish she _would _have taken you with her."

"So you could be alone with Sakura Chan?" Naruto smirked; he was going to see how many buttons he could push.

"Shut up baka."

"Admit it. You want to be alone with Sakura so you can get some in before tonight because you're not going to be able to get any with Hinata and me here."

Sasuke smirked into the pillow. "Why are you so obsessed with what Sakura and I do together? You not getting any yourself lately?"

Naruto glared, "Getting more than you."

Sasuke's smirk grew even more, "You wish."

* * *

Orochimaru and his new allies, the vampire hunters, docked their ships a mile down the shore from Kakashi's. His spy was supposed to be meeting him to give him that damned book that Kakashi always kept in his possession. That book was the key to getting what he wanted and once he had it he could have Kakashi and his little band of vampires done away with. Something was missing though. If Kakashi had the book why hadn't he used it to find the cave? Maybe the book wasn't what he thought it was after all or maybe it was but Kakashi wasn't able to use if for one reason or another. If that was the case would he be able to use it once he had it? Orochimaru sighed as he realized that yet another piece of the seemingly endless puzzle was missing.

His thoughts wouldn't let him rest and the un-dead man started to pace. Something in this town was important. It wasn't one of Kakashi's normal stops. He needed something from here, but what? Did it have anything to do with the book?

"Orochimaru sama?"

So his spy was here. "Do you have it?"

"No sir. I wasn't able to obtain it."

"You fool!" Orochimaru drew his sword, the razor sharp tip against the man's throat. "You should pay for you incompetence."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The man seemed unfazed by the weapon at his neck.

"Oh really? And what would you do?" Orochimaru sneered pushing the sword closer.

"I would wait until Kakashi has the only person who can read the book on his ship before you use your new friends over there and attack, taking everything."

Orochimaru put down his sword. "So he needs someone to read it for him."

"Yes, she's the only one who can."

"Your free for now. Next time you wont be so lucky."

* * *

Sakura and Hinata walked up the stairs to their room. It was quiet, too quiet for a room that held Naruto and Sasuke both. Both girls decided that there must be something terribly wrong. They opened the door to find the two men sitting on opposite beds glaring at one another. Hinata sighed in relief, nobody was dead or mortally injured.

Sakura sat down next to Sasuke but he didn't break his glare at Naruto. If it wasn't for his posture relaxing, just slightly, then you would have thought he wasn't aware of her existence at all. Sakura rolled her eyes and laid back on the bed. Those two could be so childish sometimes.

"I'm getting tired. I think we should all get some rest for a while. Kakashi will probably want to leave before the sun comes up again." Hinata took a seat beside Naruto, her hand resting on his shoulder.

Naruto quit his glaring contest with Sasuke. He wasn't winning anyway. Nobody could beat the infamous Uchiha-Sasuke-Glare-of-Death. "I agree with Hinata chan. I'm getting tired myself."

"Hn." Sasuke flopped back on his bed beside Sakura who was laying on her side facing away from him. The sun was just starting to go down again and he didn't like the fact that his sleeping schedule was getting messed up. Night was when he was awake, not during the day. It was starting to make him a little irritable, well, more than usual. "Just make sure you don't keep me up all night dobe."

"I'm sorry Sasuke I don't swing that way." Naruto retorted climbing under the covers.

Sakura let out a giggle and Sasuke glared, apparently she wasn't sleeping. "Quit being such a dick, I was talking about you and the horrendous sound that comes out of your gaping mouth when you sleep."

"I don't snore!"

"Whatever dobe, ask Hinata."

"Hinata do I snore?" Naruto pouted at her and Hinata winced.

"Not badly…"

"She's lying. It is that bad." Sasuke mocked.

"Shut up Teme!"

"Quit yelling dobe, people are trying to sleep." Sasuke smirked and turned on his side.

"Will you both shut up? I'm trying to sleep." Sakura muttered putting her hands over her ears.

"Sorry Sakura chan." Naruto apologized, sending Sasuke one last glare. Naruto yawned and snuggled up to Hinata after blowing out a candle which was the rooms only source of light.

Sasuke brought his arm around Sakura's waist and pulled her against his chest, his head resting in the crook of her neck. Sakura snuggled into her lover and closed her eyes only to have the peace be broken by a loud snore coming from the other side of the room. 'You can't tell me he fell asleep already!' Sakura attempted to ignore the noise and go back to sleep until it got progressively louder. She turned in Sasuke's hold until she was facing him, one of her ears against his chest and the other being blocked by her hand. Sasuke chuckled at her and rubbed her back, "I told you he was loud."

Sakura looked over at Hinata who was sleeping peacefully. "That's just not fair."

Sasuke smirked and kissed her forehead causing her to blush. "You'll get used to it eventually."

Naruto let out another agonizingly loud snore and Sakura frowned, "I doubt it."

* * *

Again please excuse any gramar mistakes, I write pretty late lol. 

Wow its reached 121 reviews, you people are awesome :) 

Review Please! I love hearing your guy's opinions, suggestions, and thoughts. 


	20. Interruptions

I'm sorry for the delay with getting this chapter up. I've been busy with friends and school but you all don't want to hear my excuses lol. 

I do not own Naruto, just this plot that came out of my insane and twisted mind. 

**Twilighter88: **Thanks, and I deleted it so I hope it doesn't affect the reviewing now. 

**Sesshomaru Dogdemon: **Lol, I would have too. Sakura's too nice. 

**XxBlackRose02xX: **Thanks, I had to take a Science one today and I have a History one tomorrow but after that I'm done! Lol I can't wait. 

**cherrysakura12345: **It was kind of disturbing… but what can you expect from them? lol. 

* * *

Sakura woke up and stretched, her movement limited by Sasuke's firm grip on her waist. She had actually managed to get some sleep, not much, but some. Sasuke had stayed up with her most of the night. He listened while she told him about her village, friends, and family. When she was done and still couldn't sleep he had whispered stories about his life in her ear until finally, despite Naruto's snoring, she could no longer hold her eyes open and his deep soothing voice lulled her to sleep. She had actually fought to stay awake towards the end. She wanted to learn about his life, about him. He rarely opened up and offered information about himself and when he finally did she couldn't stay conscious. Life wasn't fair.

Sasuke opened his eyes and stared down at the woman that was lying beside him. He noticed she was trying to wiggle out of his grasp and get up. He frowned, he wasn't ready to let go of her yet. He was far too comfortable at the moment. His hold tightened, keeping her pressed firmly against his chest. She mumbled something at him that he could have heard and understood if he wanted to but in truth he was ignoring what she was saying opting to instead focus on the feeling of holding her. His eyes started to close again.

Sakura could see Hinata silently laughing at her from the corner of her eye. Her green orbs focused on Sasuke's face and narrowed. They had to get up! Kakashi was leaving soon and she wasn't to keen on being left behind. Lazy wasn't a word she would have used to describe Sasuke but he sure hadn't picked a good day to start. She continued moving but his grip on her was too strong. She had to make him loosen it somehow. She smirked; she stopped wiggling and rested her head under his chin. Her lips brushed against his collar bone…

Sasuke's eyes shot open in surprise. She bit him! _He_ was supposed to be the one biting _her_. Not the other way around! She was smirking at him. He could tell by her lips that were still on his skin. He had to give her credit, she managed to wake him up. He used one of his hands to tilt her face upward so he could look into her eyes. "That wasn't very nice Sa-ku-ra."

"Your fault because you wouldn't get up Sasuke _Kun_." She smiled devilishly at him and kissed his jaw. "We have to get up."

"Hn." He released his hold on her reluctantly and she got off the bed. He frowned again at the loss of warmth before getting up himself. After Naruto exited the bathroom he walked in, cutting in front of Sakura.

She blinked dumbly as the door closed in front of her and then narrowed her eyes, "Hey!"

Sasuke opened the door shirtless and smirking, "What?"

"I was going to go in there!" Sakura answered pouting at him.

Sasuke gave an amused look. He leaned down to whisper in her ear, even though he knew Naruto and Hinata would still be able to hear him. "I'm going to take a shower, you can join me if you want."

Sakura flushed, "_Sasuke kun_!"

Sasuke smirked and pulled Sakura into the bathroom, closing the door behind them and leaving a laughing Hinata and a grinning Naruto behind in the room. "It's a good thing we used the bathroom first."

Hinata nodded still laughing, "It seems so."

* * *

Hama packed her clothes into an old patched bag that she had found in her closet. She was too old to travel and she wouldn't have if the situation wasn't so dire. Kakashi did need her help, she knew it and she couldn't deny him. He was the closest thing she had to family. His mom was like a sister to her, she owed it to Kurimi to help her only son. After all she was the only one alive who could. Everyone else with the kind of knowledge she possessed was long since dead, her mother, Kurimi and her mother, all dead. She couldn't remember her own mother. Kurimi's mother had raised her. She was told that she looked a lot like the woman but she had never seen so much as a picture of her. Her mother died when she was still an infant. She was never told how or why though. She never asked.

Hama looked at the book in her hands; this was the only thing of her mothers that she possessed. It was her diary. Once she read it she'd know lots about her mother, things nobody else knew. Maybe something about her father would be inside it as well. She laughed at herself. She was getting too excited about something so small, it might not have much information at all. She had gone her whole life with out knowing, she could go the rest of it.

* * *

Saji paced his ship, the _Albatross_. His mind buzzed with thoughts of the up coming battle. He was reluctant at first to cooperate with Orochimaru's crew when his captain had agreed to work with them. They seemed shady, almost as bad as the vampires they hunted but he eventually accepted his captain's orders and now he was anxious to get the fight going. He wanted to storm over and slaughter each and every vampire like the animals he knew they were. He owed it to his sister. Those _monsters_ had taken her from him. She was all he had left and then she was gone, just like that. Now they had taken a new human, the girl had reminded him of his sister. Same age, same height, same pale skin, the only difference was the hair color. He would make them pay for what they did with their immortal lives. He would send each one straight to hell to burn for eternity. Eternal damnation, it sounded like a fitting punishment to him.

"The time will come eventually." Rika, a fellow crewmate, placed her hand reassuringly on his shoulder which he shrugged off.

"Not soon enough." Saji retorted. Rika didn't have the drive that he did, the hatred. She hadn't lost anyone to a Vampire. She was here because she was orphaned at the age of eight and had no where else to go. She was raised here but she had no personal experience to drive her like he did. In his mind she was weak, useless and there's no room for free rides on the _Albatross._ She didn't belong. She had never even killed anyone.

Rika shook her head at him. He was always so rude. He didn't care about anyone but himself and his goals. Their ship focused on team work but he worked alone. He thought he was stronger that way, with no one else to depend on but himself. "Orochimaru Sama says we're leaving soon."

"Fine." Saji continued to stare out into the distance, "Why are you still here?"

Rika glared at him, "I was just leaving."

* * *

Sakura walked back on board of the _Crimson Flood _and smiled. It felt good to be home again. Home, when had she started to consider the ship her home? She wasn't quite sure but ship seemed more like home to her now than her old village did. She felt like she belonged here. Sasuke walked closely beside her his face as indifferent as ever but his hand gently held hers. Yes, this was where she belonged. She squeezed his hand lovingly and smiled up at him. He didn't smile back, but his eyes softened as he looked at her.

Itachi walked by and eyed the couple. When his brother caught sight of him Sasuke mouthed the words you-owe-me. Itachi wanted to laugh but instead he shook his head. Itachi had gone to fine Sasuke to tell them they were leaving and Naruto had mentioned that he was in the shower. The blonde had forgotten to mention that he was in the shower _with_ Sakura so when he knocked on the bathroom door a very frustrated Sasuke had answered in nothing but a towel. Apparently he had interrupted something.

Sakura caught sight of him and waved him over. "Hey Itachi san!"

Itachi smiled slightly in a greeting, "Have either of you two seen Matsuda? I haven't seen him around for a while and normally he's _everywhere._"

"It was reported that he fell overboard to his death during the storm." Sasuke answered. As bad as it may seem he wasn't exactly sad to see the man go.

"That's too bad. He was such a nice guy." Sakura said frowning slightly.

Sasuke's posture became more rigid, "Hn."

Itachi inwardly chuckled. His brother had a big problem with jealousy, most of the time it wasn't even warranted. If his brother couldn't tell that he had no reason to be jealous of other guys just with the way Sakura looked at him he needed a real reality check. Maybe he'd be the one to give it to him some day. He physically laughed at the thought causing Sasuke to give him a sort of what-the-fuck look. Itachi smiled, "Well I better go. You two look like you could use some rest." And they did, but he highly doubted that once they got alone in Sasuke's room that they would spend their time _resting _especially after he interrupted earlier.

"See you later." Sakura called after his retreating form and she got a nod in response. "You know Sasuke Kun, I think Itachi's right. We should get some rest, I'm tired." She yawned, an action which Sasuke found cute.

Sasuke eyed her up and down and pulled her in the direction of his room. She had a feeling she wouldn't be getting much of the kind of rest she was referring to.

* * *

Hopefully I don't have too many gramar mistakes again. 

If anybody is wondering who Saji is he was mentioned in chapter 7 or 8... I cant remember which lol. 

Thanks to everyone who reads and reviews. The last chapter got 17, I was so happy :) 

R&R please? 


	21. Promise

Wow, I haven't updated for a week…whoops. Sorry. 

I do Not own Naruto…just various X-box games and manga volumes. 

**xx-tenshi-xx: **Thanks I'm glad you like it. There will be more lemons I assure you lol. As for your other questions, everything will be explained in the story in time. 

**cherrysakura12345: **Late comments are always just as good lol, sorry for the delay in updating. 

**XxBlackRose02xX: **I finish school on May 30th. Thanks so much, I appreciate you taking the time to comment :) 

**C.A.M.EO.1 and Only: **Haha, he is and that's a funny thought about him being castrated lmao. 

**sandwich-chan: **Now that you mention it, it does seem like a period joke… I didn't think about that lmao. Whoops. 

**Neko Grafic: **Congratulations, I was wondering when somebody would notice that lmao. Do you know who Kakashi's grandmother is? 

* * *

The two swords clanked rapidly against one another, gleaming in the afternoon sun. Sakura thrust her sword forward going to make a jab at Rin's abdomen that he blocked. She had improved since her last lesson and she was feeling refreshed and ready to fight. Sasuke, instead of ravaging her like she thought he was going to, had made her sleep. She hadn't expected that but she was glad he did. He could be sweet when he wanted to be… well sweet in his own _unique_ way. Her thoughts had distracted her and Rin nicked her arm, a thin line of blood appearing. She snapped back into action. Her sword met his and she and she struggled to maintain her grip. Rin was much stronger than she was and the force he applied was almost too much for her to handle. The sad thing was he was taking it _easy_ on her. Now they just had to see who would break away first and attack.

Sakura decided to take the risk. She lifted her sword pushing Rin back slightly and lunged forward, aiming for his chest. Rin blocked it but at least she had him on defense, she was the one attacking but not for long. Rin advanced towards her, their swords clanking together again and again. Sakura couldn't keep up. Despite Rin having a more muscular build he was also nimble, he was faster than her. Sakura started to lose her footing and eventually fell on her behind on the deck, Rin's sword at her chest.

"Well done Sakura, much better than the last two times." Kaori congratulated her favorite pupil. She saw a determination in Sakura that reminded her of herself when she was first beginning, also a certain humbleness. It was refreshing after all of the cocky and arrogant vampires she'd trained.

"But I still lost." Sakura sighed.

"It'll take a while to beat Rin. He's one of the best. I'm actually quite proud of the progress you've made in such short a time." Kaori commented.

Sakura put on her ever present smile, "Thanks!"

"We'll we're done for the day. I'll see you both tomorrow."

"Bye Sensei!"

"Suck up." Rin laughed causing Sakura to stick her tongue out at him.

"You're just jealous because she likes me better." She mocked putting on a playful arrogant smile.

"Ha! Everybody knows _I'm _her favorite!" Rin joked back putting on the same cocky expression.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night." Sakura stopped laughing when Rin suddenly was very close to her, too close for her comfort. His index finger wiped away the blood on her arm where he had nicked her. She watched as he put the finger in his mouth and sucked on it.

"You might want to bandage that Pinky." Pinky was a nickname he had given her. He'd always call her that when he felt like picking on her because he knew she didn't like it but now Rin's expression wasn't joking, it was more like a look that she only wanted Sasuke to give her.

"Y-yeah." She didn't like the way he stared at her. She needed to get away from him before he did something. She needed to go find Sasuke.

* * *

_Cold eyes stared down at the baby lying in its cradle. She looked so much like her father; Mira could barely stand to look at her own child. Yes, she was a very disturbed woman. She had nowhere else to place the resentment she felt. It wouldn't matter for much longer though. She had a plan, she would give Orochimaru just what he deserved and then she would take her own life, end her pain. _That_ was all that mattered to her now, her own pain. She had turned corrupt, selfish. Nobody mattered but herself now. Nobody. _

_She had locked away all her treasures, all her worldly possessions. If she couldn't take them with her to hell, which she knew was where she was going; nobody else would have them either! People would look, but she had made sure that no one would ever find it, and if they did, they had another thing coming if they thought it was going to be easy taking it. She had made sure of that. Just like she had made sure that Orochimaru would suffer for all eternity. Her curse that she set on him and his entire wretched crew should be taking affect any minute now. Oh how she would love to see his face when he found out what she had done. _

_She went to stand in her window overlooking the gray sky. Rain poured from the heavens as if grieving what she had become. She looked towards the ground, a good forty foot drop. She opened her window, rain hit against her face as she slowly stood on the ledge. It was time. She had no thoughts the possibility of the coming pain as she let her body fall, face first, towards the cobblestone path outside. She was at peace with death. _

* * *

Kakashi sat back in his chair, his expression in amazement and happiness. After all these years he _finally _knew where it was! He could finally end his search. It was almost unbelievable. "Thank you. I wouldn't have been able to do it without you Hama."

The old woman smiled gently, "You haven't gotten there yet dear."

"But I will." Kakashi beamed, he was almost ...giddy.

Hama sighed, "Don't count your eggs before they hatch. Something is telling me this won't be as easy as you think."

"It won't be easy, but I'm ready…_we're _ready for whatever lies ahead."

"Let's just hope," she sighed again, "let's just hope."

* * *

"I'm g-going to go." Sakura turned away from Rin and mad her way to the door that led off deck. She could feel his eyes follow her the entire way. That wasn't like Rin. He never looked at her that way before. She didn't like it.

Her feet carried her quickly down the halls to his room. She didn't knock, she had gotten used to just walking in. Sasuke was pacing but stopped when she entered. Something was wrong. His eyebrows were drawn together and he had a slight frown on his face. She walked over to him and placed a hand on his tense shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Promise me something." His dark eyes were almost pleading with her to agree, his face extremely serious.

"What is it?" Her worried gaze held his own.

"You have to promise me that tomorrow, no matter what, you won't leave this room." His hands were holding her face, his thumb stroking her soft cheek.

"Sasuke, why?" Her eyes held so much confusion it hurt him.

"Just promise me." His voice was firm but still pleading. "Please."

She was extremely worried now. He had never once said please when he asked her to do something, he had never seemed as serious as he was now. "I promise."

He relaxed slightly; his eyes softened sending her a caring look. "It's very important. No matter what happens, no matter what you see or hear you must not leave."

"I won't." She didn't know if she would be able to live up to her promise. "What's going on?"

Sasuke sighed. He pulled her to sit on his lap on the bed, his arms around her waist. "Orochimaru has been following us. Kakashi thinks he'll attack tomorrow, probably during the day because that's when we're the weakest."

Sakura's eyes widened. Orochimaru attack the ship? Sasuke would have to fight, he could get hurt, he could _die._ Tears formed in her eyes, she wouldn't be able to stand losing him. "I-I could help. Kaori's been training me." She wanted to be with him. How did he expect her to stay down here when he could get himself killed?!

Sasuke's eyes darkened and his grip around her tightened. "No Sakura. You are _not _leaving this room you hear me?"

"But I-"

"You promised me Sakura. Stay here. You have to stay here." His dark eyes looked worried, frantic. "I almost lost you once. It won't happen again. It can't." His head was down, his inky black bangs casting a dark shadow over his eyes hiding them.

"I can't lose you either." The tears that had been collecting in her eyes were now pouring out, wetting her cheeks.

"You won't. I promise." He knew he might not be able to keep that commitment but he was going to try.

* * *

The plot finally thickens :) 

I hope this chapter wasn't too boring for you guys. It was short :( 

Review Please! and again I'm sorry for any and all grammar mistakes I might have made. 


	22. Calm Before The Storm

Schools out and I'm no longer stressed so all together that means ….dun dun dun UPDATES! Woot! 

Disclaimer: I own nothing sadly …

**Chire: **Thanks, I'm trying to work on the rushing part lol. 

**XxBlackRose02xX: **Thanks! :) My last day of school was yesterday so I have time to write now and hopefully I'll be able to update faster except for a week when I have to go to Pennsylvania in July. 

**Neko Grafic: **Nice guess. Now we'll all just have to wait and see :) 

**C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only: **Good observation! (Applause) :) 

* * *

She couldn't sleep and she knew he couldn't either. Sasuke's right hand was running through her hair, twisting the pink locks gently around one finger. Everything was quiet, the only sound being her soft breathing. She looked down at their intertwined left hands lying on his bare chest. She didn't want to think about the upcoming battle, about the possibility of losing him. Sasuke was strong, he'd make it out alive, right? He had to. She knew she was dependent on him now, she needed him to survive. It was almost strange, laying her head on his chest and it not rising and falling with breath like her own. It reminded her of what he was, a vampire. Not that she had ever really forgotten, how could she? His inhuman speed, his eyesight and hearing, and his looks, they were all perfect. _He_ was perfect. The thought gave her faith, how could somebody like him be taken out so easily?

Sasuke mentally sighed, morning was hours away but he couldn't help but think it was coming too soon. He wished more than anything that he could read her mind at that very moment. He wanted to know what she was thinking, if she was scared or worried. He actually felt stupid not knowing. He was so used to relying on his abilities that being unsure felt totally foreign to him. Then again when was he ever sure about things concerning her? "Sakura." His whisper brought her attention to his face, her green eyes staring into his own black ones. Despite not being able to read her mind, her eyes always gave everything away. All her emotions shown in those wonderful emerald pools, he had learned to read her like a book. The feelings she had in them now shook him. She had such a look of pure love on her face, it amazed him. He didn't deserve her but he always knew he was a selfish man and there was _no _way he was going to let anybody else have her.

Sakura let go of his hand so she could reach up and brush some hair away from his face. Her fingers ran across his jaw and over his lips. "I love you." Her voice was soft and caring. She didn't give him time to respond before she kissed him. Her soft warm lips moved against his, slowly at first until he responded and deepened their lip lock. Her hands went to rest on his chest and he used his to pull her closer. He wanted to take things slowly. He wanted to show her through actions what he couldn't bring himself to say. He wanted to make her _feel_ how much he loved her. It was important to him that she knew, just incase something went wrong tomorrow and he was forced to leave her forever.

He flipped them over so she was under him, his arms on either side of her supporting his weight. Her fingers traced lightly over his chest and abs, feeling every muscle and smiling when he shivered as she drug one of her fingers from his navel down. She stared into his dark eyes the entire time.

* * *

The beautiful blonde froze in her tracks. How could one sentence bring her crashing down?

_"I know what you did Aria."_ How could he know? Did he see her push Sakura? She had planned it so perfectly, nobody should have known. Nobody _could_ know. She'd have to take care of him now too. After, that is, she got what she wanted from him as well. She may not have gotten rid of the little bitch the first time around but she wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

"I could turn you in right now." His voice that was usually full of life and mischief was now vacant of any emotion. He didn't care if she died, just as long as she was out of his way.

"You wouldn't." Her blue eyes shone with a hidden confidence.

"Why not?" He inwardly scoffed; she was no threat to him.

"Because, _I _know what you did…or rather what you're doing." Aria smirked, "I know all about your little plan for mutiny. I even know who you work for and _I_ could turn _you_ in right now."

The man laughed, she seriously thought she was going to win against him? He could kill her from where he stood and there by assure that Kakashi would never know. However, killing her wouldn't be worth the time it would take to sharpen his blade again. He would play it her way for now. Maybe he could find a way to use her to his advantage. "So what do you want? You didn't come here merely to tell me you knew my little secret."

"As sharp as ever Rin. I want to help." Aria smiled taking a seat on his bed.

"What you want is protection, the kind of protection you can get by joining the mutiny and something else. Something having to do with a certain human perhaps?" Rin crossed his arms over his chest, he had her right where he wanted her and she thought she was in control. This was too good.

"Yes, Sakura is mine. I want to take care of her myself."

"Fine, I'll inform Orochimaru." Rin made his way to the door, "But if you fuck this up, _your_ ass is _mine._ Got it?"

Aria flashed a wicked smile, "But of course."

* * *

Moon light shone through the open small circular window in Sasuke's room. Sakura stared at the way it highlighted his features from her position straddling his waist. She smiled as she felt his hands glide up and down her smooth thighs. She had no intention of getting much sleep tonight. He had catered to her completely and now she would return the favor. She had felt how much he loved her and now it was her turn to make him feel it.

She trailed butterfly kisses down his neck and along his collar bone. Her hands roamed tracing every muscle he possessed. The almost inaudible sounds he made and his small smiles encouraged her to keep going. His hands went to run up and down her back, his fingers brushing over her spine causing her to shiver. Slowly she lowered herself onto him and he groaned. His hands gripped her hips, guiding her as she moved on him.

Sakura stared at his face. His eyes were closed and his lips parted slightly every now and then releasing slight moans as she rode him. She leaned forward and kissed his lips, her hands fisting themselves in his black hair as she allowed his hands on her hips to guide her movements. Sakura moaned out his name as his hips started to lift up to meet her as well. She rotated her hips experimentally and smiled when he groaned even louder and whispered in her ear for her to do it again. She did as she was told, moving her hips every time he brought her down on him. His grip on her tightened and he forced her to ride him harder, almost pulling completely out before slamming her back down. She knew she was going to have bruises where his fingers were the but the feelings he was giving her were too good for her to care.

Sakura bit her lip to keep from screaming as she hit her climax. Her entire body shook with the force of it, Sasuke came just as hard a few thrusts later. She collapsed on his chest breathing heavily, her fingers still intertwined in his black hair. Sasuke had released his hold on her hips and ran a hand through her hair. Her breathing eventually evened out and he knew she had fallen asleep. "I love you too."

Now why couldn't he say it when she was conscious?

* * *

_Everything was pitch black, the cold darkness so thick it was suffocating. Something was holding her down. Her arms and legs, every part of her body hurt. Chills ran down her spine as somebody whispered in her ear. It was a man, his voice pure evil and filled with lust. She screams as he touches her but nobody can hear her. Nobody comes to help her, she's alone. The man grows tired of her screaming and grasps her neck so tight she can't breathe. Her lungs start to burn from the lack of air. Tears pour from her eyes as she continues to be at the mercy of the man. She can't see him but can feel his unwanted touch all over her body. He seemed to take pleasure in her pain. The more she struggles the more excited he got, so she gave up. She laid limp still crying waiting for it to be over. _

"Hinata Chan, you alright?" Naruto's worried voice brought her back from her vision. "You were shaking. Is everything okay?"

"I don't know." Hinata allowed Naruto to take her into his arms and hold her. She had never had a vision so strong. She felt what the victim was feeling. She knew she wasn't the one in trouble because being choked wouldn't have affected her, she didn't need to breathe. Sakura. She was the only human. Hinata's eyes widened, she had to tell Sasuke.

* * *

I hope that this chapter isn't as sucky as I think… it is short though and I'm planning on making the next one much longer so it might take a while to update, sorry. 

R&R ppl! I love hearing what you think


	23. The Storm: Into the Battle

Sorry for the delay. At least this chapter beats the last one in length. 

**Neko Grafic: **You've been right with almost all your predictions so far, very nice :) I think what happens with the vision Hinata has will come as a surprise though. 

**XxBlackRose02xX: **Thanks, before I answer your question though, how old do you think I am? I just like hearing peoples different guesses. Lol

**Muzik Maniac: **Thanks, I'm glad you thought it was worth the wait :) I hope this chapter was too. 

**candyluver: **Thanks for your patience. :) 

**SasuxSakufan: **Thanks for the reassurance, I tend to be a little self conscious with my writing. 

* * *

The gloomy darkness of the ships prison hold was truly depressing but Hagetaka didn't need the dark atmosphere to be depressed. His calloused hands held onto the bars before him, gripping them tight in his anger. Nobody would listen to him; they paid him about as much mind as an annoying fly buzzing around their heads. They were walking to their deaths and they wouldn't listen! If he hadn't been stupid and gotten himself caught he could probably save a lot of lives. Now it was too late. There was nothing he could do if nobody wanted to listen to the information he could give them. Kakashi had promised him a fair trial after the battle but it would be too late, he might as well kill himself now. But he couldn't, he still held onto a small hope that _somebody_ would listen to him.

His thoughts drifted over to the events that had him held in the prison since last night. If he ever got out Rin would regret the very day he was born. It was all because of that damned man.

**Flashback**

_Muffled voices came through the door, Hagetaka strained to hear them clearly. _

"_I could turn you in right now." _

"_You wouldn't."_

"_Why not?"_

"_Because, I know what you did…or rather what you're doing. I know all about your little plan for mutiny. I even know who you work for and _I_ could turn _you_ in right now." _

_Hagetaka shook his head sadly, those voices defiantly belonged to Aria and Rin. He never would have pictured the kid to be involved with the likes of Orochimaru. _

_He heard Rin laugh, "So what do you want? You didn't come here merely to tell me you knew my little secret."_

"_As sharp as ever Rin. I want to help."_

'I never doubted _she'd_ be in on it.'

"_What you want is protection, the kind of protection you can get by joining the mutiny and something else. Something having to do with a certain human perhaps?" _

"_Yes, Sakura is mine. I want to take care of her myself." _

'So that was what this was all about, jealousy. It was well known that Sasuke had claimed the human girl as his and also just as well known that Aria wanted that for herself.'

"_Fine, I'll inform Orochimaru but if you fuck this up, your ass is mine. Got it?" _

"_But of course."_

_Sensing that the conversation was over Hagetaka turned to leave but a hand on the back of his shirt pulled him back. "Can I help you Hagetaka san?" _

"_No I was just on my way to the Rec. room." _

"_I'm sure." _

**End Flashback **

Rin had drug him to Kakashi claiming he was the traitor and had him put in the prison hold. Now all he can do is wait for news of the battle.

* * *

"You weren't even going to wake me up before you left?" Sakura looked at Sasuke with a hurt expression that made him wince inside. The last thing he ever wanted to do was hurt her.

Sasuke walked over to her small form on his bed. "I was going to wake you up later," he smirked down at her, "you needed the sleep." She blushed as he eyed the way she clutched his black sheets closely to her otherwise naked body. "You know you don't have to do that Sa-ku-ra, it's nothing I haven't seen before." His damned smirk was back in place and she was blushing…_again._ She knew he was trying to distract her from worrying about him.

"When do you have to go?" She clutched the fabric in her hands a little tighter.

Sasuke sighed, "I should probably head out now."

A frown settled on her face but she nodded, "Come back for me."

"I will."

She watched as he walked out the door, shutting it behind him. Now came the worst part for her, the waiting. _'Maybe if I have something to do it'll help me take my mind of the bad things.' _She got up, still clutching the sheet to her and made her way towards the door where one of her shirts way lying. _'First I'll get dressed and then I can do some cleaning. Anything's better than just sitting around.' _

When she was about to reach her shirt the door opened causing her to jump in surprise. "Sa-Sasuke what are you doing?"

"I forgot something." He pulled her to him and crashed his lips down on hers. She could feel the hint of urgency in his kiss and it made her anxious. She much preferred the loving ones from the night before. He pulled away and smiled softly at her before once again walking out of the room.

* * *

Cold hands pressed against a wooden table, the dark brown an extreme contrast to his pale skin. "Only a few more hours my loyal crew," The owner of the hands, Orochimaru, spoke, his voice full of anticipation, "and Kakashi and his crew of the undead will be no more!" Cheers erupted from his own crew which he shushed with one gesture of his hand, smirking all the while. His crew was thirsty for blood and they would have it. "There are two things I want you to remember. One, Kakashi is mine. If he dies by anyone's hand but my own there will be hell to pay. Two, I am told there is a human on board, she is not to be touched."

"Orochimaru sama, how are we going to know which one the human is?"

"She has pink hair, that shouldn't be too hard to notice." Orochimaru gave a small laugh which only served to make him seem more menacing, his vocal chords not being used to such an action.

"Is that it captain?"

"One more thing, no one besides the human gets left alive. When they served their purpose, take the vampire hunters out as well."

"Hai!"

* * *

"Sasuke san!"

Sasuke stopped his journey across the deck to see Hinata. She looked solemn as she rushed towards him. It was unusual for her. Normally her expression was one of calm and kindness. It was eerie to see _her_ so serious. "What is it?"

"I –"

"All hands on deck! Everyone to their positions!"

The two turned to Kakashi who was yelling orders, the two opposing ships were approaching fast. "I'll talk to you later Hinata." Sasuke took off to his position towards the outer ring of vampires. He'd be on the front line.

"Sasuke wait!" It was too late, he was already gone. Hinata looked around, she had to do something. She took off towards the door leading below deck passing Itachi on the way, "Cover for me while I'm gone!"

Itachi nodded and unsheathed his katana. The cannons already started, their loud booms like a warning of the damage they caused. They smacked into the sides of Orochimaru's ship leaving gaping holes where people could be seen running back and forth preparing for battle. The sound of cracking and splintering wood was drowned out by battle cries as the ships finally got close enough to board. Enemies flooded onto the ship slicing down anybody in their way.

Itachi watched as two vampire hunters made the foolish choice of rushing at him with weapons drawn. He ended them both before they even had a chance to realize that he had moved. He pulled out his katana and watched as red liquid dripped off it onto the deck, it had begun.

* * *

Rika watched the battle from her position on the deck of the _Albatross. _It was almost beautiful the way the vampires moved in a graceful fashion almost like participants in a dance, a deadly and bloody dance. She was to be one of the last people to board the vampire ship because of her inexperience. She was eager to prove herself though, she was just as good a swordsmen as anyone on her ship. Finally the signal was given and she was over the gangplank in seconds her sword swinging as soon as she hit the other deck.

She made her way through the crowd until a tall figure blocked her from progressing any farther. It was the first time she had seen a vampire close up. This one was tall and to her surprise, extremely good looking despite the blood splattered over his pale skin. She had heard all vampires were attractive to humans, but this one had to be even more so. His long black hair was pulled into a low ponytail and his eyes were a deep scarlet color with black commas around the irises. Those eyes seemed to be pulling her in, she was warned about vampires having special abilities. She realized she had stopped dead in her tracks, completely still as she stared at him. Somebody rushed around her going to attack the vampire and she watched as he cut the man down with one effortless swing of his blade. She was so close that some of the mans blood splattered on her face. It snapped her out of her revere and she gripped her weapon tighter but still made no movement to attack.

He was staring at her, sizing her up she guessed. He must have realized by now that she wasn't much of a threat. She knew that if he wanted he could get rid of her just as easily as he had done to the other man. He turned away from her and engaged in battle with another hunter. Anger rose inside her. So he didn't even consider her enough of a threat to even bother with? She'd show him.

* * *

I hope you guys liked this one…

R&R pwease? O.O 


	24. A Battle Won or A Battle Lost?

I wrote this chapter while sitting in a basement infested with spiders (long story) so sorry for any grammatical errors, I was distracted. I have a very bad case of arachnophobia …as irrational a fear as it is, it's a fear none the less. 

**XxBlackRose02xX: **Thanks, I think this one is even longer than the last. Itachi is super cool lol and nice guess but I'm still in high school myself lol. We get out so early because we start early. 

**Muzik Maniac: **Thanks for showing me that, I was able to go back and fix it :) Arigato. 

**C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only: **Sorry but she doesn't die yet. Lol

**Twilgihter88: **Gotta love Itachi and his ass kicking XD 

* * *

Kaori's twin blades slashed through her opponents as if they were meeting nothing but air. Sasuke, who was beside her a few feet away was doing just as well. Most of the invaders so far were vampire hunters, humans. While they had been trained specifically to deal with the undead, they weren't capable of having a strong impact on a crew such as Kakashi's. However, she knew once Orochimaru's crew started boarding all hell would break loose. How do you win against an opponent that can't die? As invincible as Vampires seemed they were not immune to death. They needed to overpower the opposing crew and push them back to their own ship and then sink it, leaving them stranded without a way to follow. She hoped they'd be able to pull it off but she had confidence in her crew, they weren't going down without a fight.

A sudden movement to her left caught her eye. Another hunter was racing towards her. It was just a boy, no more than eleven or twelve. Kaori mentally frowned. He didn't stand a chance, against her _or_ any other vampire. How could they send in an unprepared child into such a dangerous battle? He was a brave one, she'd give him that. He rushed at her with no hesitation but his eyes held fear.

His attack was blocked and she easily over powered him sending his sword skidding away from him across the deck. The boy's eyes widened but they never left her form. _'Run away, your whole life is still ahead of you.' _He didn't seem to get it though, he remained completely still. She looked down at his hands that were holding out a crucifix that he had pulled out of his jacket. _'He thinks that's going to do anything? Cute.'_ Kaori flashed her fangs and hissed at him. _'That seemed to work.' _She watched him run away. She would have laughed if it had been any other situation instead of in the middle of a bloody battle. Laughing didn't seem like an appropriate action.

Sasuke looked over at his cousin and almost smiled as he watched the child run away from her. She always had a soft spot for kids. Hunters called _Vampires _barbaric when they're the ones sending kids off to fight? _'Hypocrites.' _Sasuke swept his eyes quickly over the deck, the Vampires were winning. The humans had barely made it past the first ring of Vampires. Corpses littered the deck that was now stained red with blood. _Crimson Flood _seemed a fitting name at the moment. He watched some of his fellow crew mates ripping out hunters throats and drinking their blood, using their enemies to give them power in the daylight. It was almost ironic how the humans own dead were helping give the Vampires an advantage over the living.

Suddenly a loud booming followed by an eerie sort of groaning sound filled the air. Cheers erupted from the crew of the _Crimson Flood_ as the Hunters ship started to hold more water and slowly sink. The last cannon ball had done it in. People on board the sinking vessel jumped from its edges into the water below grabbing onto whatever they could to keep them afloat. The hunters still fighting on the _Crimson Flood_ soon jumped overboard as well. Seeing that they had obviously lost the fight they decided to choose life and join their fellow crewmates.

However, the vampires hadn't gone without injury. Although not near as many Vampires died as hunters there was a decent amount. Sasuke looked around trying to spot his brother. He almost panicked when he couldn't spot him for a while but then he caught him on the other side of the deck. He was still engaged in battle with a young hunter who hadn't jumped ship like the rest. Sasuke wondered why his brother hadn't killed the girl yet. He seemed to be almost teasing her. Leave it to Itachi to find amusement in a battle.

* * *

Grey eyes stared into crimson as Rika tried to size up her opponent. His eyes however, gave nothing away but that he was slightly amused by her. _'Amused? AMUSED?! I'm trying to kill him god damn it!' _Rika fumed as her sword swept around for another attack that was, once again, skillfully blocked. She scowled, she was getting nowhere and she could tell he was taking it easy on her. How was she supposed to prove herself if her opponents were _amused_ by her rather than afraid? Her anger and frustration was starting to get the best of her.

"Your anger will only serve to fog your mind and cloud your judgment." He taunted her, the corner of his lips slightly twitching upwards.

'_He's teasing me now?!' _Rika's scowl only grew and she rushed blindly towards him, his remark making her madder than she had previously been so she ignored his warning. Her wild swing was blocked and she was sent backwards on her butt from the force he possessed.

"I told you." He was smirking openly at her now.

'_Ugh!' _She got back on her feet and taking deep breaths attempting to calm herself. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. _'Why doesn't he just kill me? He's acting as if this is some sort of sparing session rather than a battle!' _

Itachi watched as she righted herself. Instead of outright attacking him she waited. "Your crew abandoned ship, shouldn't you be joining them?"

"This battle isn't over yet Vampire." He rose a brow at her, "I'm not leaving until its over. One of us isn't going to see tomorrow."

"Hn. In that case are you going to stand there or are we to begin again?" His teasing tone was driving her insane. This time however, she didn't let her anger get the best of her.

"Why don't you kill me? I know you can." Her defiant grey eyes once again searched his own crimson ones trying to find an answer in their depths.

"Is that what you want?" He once again raised an eyebrow at her.

"You might as well. You obviously don't take me seriously… not that other people do either." Her expression was grim as she sheathed her sword. "I give up."

* * *

"Woo hoo!" Naruto pumped a fist in the air and cheered, "Nice job Ino!" The Yamanaka girl had been the one to fire the cannon that sunk the Hunters ship.

"Er…thanks." Ino gave the rambunctious Naruto a strange look. Suddenly a figure came running towards his turned back, "Naruto look out!"

Naruto whirled around and speared the man through the chest. The pale figure looked down and smirked pulling the katana out of his body. "Shit!" Naruto cursed. Now it was going to be a challenge. The man swiftly attacked Naruto, drawing a small amount of blood from his arm. The real fight had started, Orochimaru's crew was here.

* * *

Hinata leaned against Sasuke's door. Nobody was going to get Sakura if she had anything to do about it. She longed to go back on deck just to check on Naruto but she knew that it would give her vision an opportunity to make itself a reality. She had faith in Naruto's abilities as well and that helped ease her fears. She could hear shouts and cannon blast from above and she was grateful that none of the cannon balls had headed in her direction yet.

A creaking sound alerted her she was no longer alone. Hinata pulled out her Kunai and took a defensive stance, ready to risk her life for her friend. She activated her Byakugan not knowing what or who she was up against just yet. The figure had no chakra signal, it was either a Vampire or one of Orochimaru's crew. She hoped the former option was the case. "Who's there?" Hinata's voice was not its usual soft tone, it was demanding and cold.

Aria stepped into the light, "Kakashi needs all available hands on deck, Orochimaru's crew just boarded. He told me to come get you."

Hinata resisted the urge to give a skeptical look. She didn't trust Aria, never did and never would. "Alright, I'll be up in a minute." The blonde Vampire still didn't move. "Is there something else you wanted?"

'_I can't let her leave. She's seen me down here so she'll be able to link me to Sakura's disappearance.' _Aria rushed forward. Hinata not expecting the attack only had time to lodge her kunai in Aria's arm before she was pushed into the wall, her head banging against it with enough force to make her black out. Aria pulled the knife out of her arm as Hinata slumped to the ground, blood slid down her temple. She must have hit the Hyuga harder than she thought.

Sasuke's door flung open to reveal a shocked Sakura. "What's going-" Her eyes landed on Hinata's fallen form before sliding to Aria. _'No!' _

* * *

Sasuke activated his Sharingon, the threatening shade of crimson bleeding through the natural onyx color of his eyes. He hadn't needed it until now. His opponent came at him and his eyes quickly predicted his every move allowing him to counter each swing with perfect efficiency. He even picked up some new techniques from the people he fought. Nobody could lay a hit on him. He even had time to sweep the deck with his eyes as he fought. He saw the crew lead by his cousin, a vampire named Neji, and Kakashi execute the strategy thought out by the ships battle tactician and navigator Shikamaru. The man was truly a genius and his plan was working just as he'd planned.

His thoughts started to drift towards Sakura. She had obeyed his wishes for her to stay in his room so far and he was grateful. He inwardly smiled when he thought about going back to his room once this was all over, returning to her just as he promised he would. He couldn't wait to be done with Orochimaru once and for all. Then he could finally have some peace and not have to worry so much about the people he loved being taken away from him once again. Especially now that he had someone special to protect.

Suddenly something unexpected happened. A fifth of the crew turned against the rest, working with Orochimaru's. The mutiny had finally acted. Rin was among the ranks, he seemed to be leading them. Sasuke felt his fist clench in anger. He knew he never liked Rin. As much as the mutiny helped they were still no match for Shikamaru's brain. He'd planned for this.

All of a sudden pained cry sounded from his left, it was his cousin.

* * *

Kaori let out a cry as Kakashi fell to the ground, a sword through his middle. Orochimaru stood over him smirking. Blood pored generously from the wound leaking onto the deck. Kaori started to shake violently, her Sharingon spinning wildly in her eyes. "You _Bastard_!" She rushed towards him, her twin blades poised for attack, "I'll kill you!"

Orochimaru smiled over at her, "Sorry love, but there's been a change in plans. We'll have to do this another time." With one jump he landed back on his own ship, his crew retreating after him.

"Get back here and face me you cowardly piece of shit!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, her body still shaking in rage. Arms embraced her from behind firmly, "Let me go!" Sasuke looked down at his cousin, he pitied her but he didn't dare show it. She wouldn't want anyone to pity her, ever. Soon her struggling stopped and she allowed herself to be held. Once he knew she was calm he let her go and she immediately when to Kakashi's side.

Her eyes appraised the damage and she felt tears forming. The blood was everywhere. Her hands grasped the Katana going through his middle, it needed to come out. "Everything's going to be okay, you're going to be okay." She was trying to convince herself as much as him. Kakashi closed his eyes as she pulled the weapon out and then quickly applied pressure to his wound.

One of his hands went to rest on hers that were now drenched in his blood, "I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about baka. You're going to make it out of this and you'll be shouting orders again in no time." She tried to laugh but it turned into a choked sob. She felt someone tap her shoulder and she looked up to see a woman with bandages. Kaori removed her hands and allowed the woman to do her work. "You're going to be okay… you have to be."

* * *

Sakura struggled to get out of Aria's grasp but the blonde was just too strong. She was being dragged towards Orochimaru's ship and she was putting up one hell of a fight. Sakura bit down on the hand that was across her mouth causing Aria to let go and hiss in pain giving her just enough time. "SASUKE!"

"Be quiet you little bitch!" Aria dragged her with more force but it was too late, Sasuke had seen them and he was rushing towards the two at vampire speed, his face showing absolute fury. "Your too late princess." Aria hissed in Sakura's ear as she set foot on Orochimaru's ship just as the gangplank was pulled back, "Your precious Sasuke can't save you now."

* * *

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I think it's my longest for this story yet! XD 

R&R please. 


	25. Hostages

Yet again I'm writing in the arachnophobian's nightmare of a basement. We've had three tornado warnings and watches this week. Its seriously starting to piss me off because I have to leave my house (sometimes at one in the morning) to go to my grandparents house because they have a basement. Never in my life has a tornado hit my town, or my mother's life or grandmothers. It's a serious strain on my patience when I'm still forced to go. …Sorry Rant is over now… hehe? 

**EmoNinjaSara: **Yeah, pretty much lol and thanks! 

**XxBlackRose02xX: **Thanks! I hate it when teachers pile us with homework :( Good luck with your exams. 

**Neko Grafic: **Hmmm… verrrrry good idea… 

**darkprincess01: **Both of your questions are answered in this chapter… well half of the one about Itachi… there's more but that's coming later. 

**Muzik Maniac: **Yup she'll be there for a while. 

**candyluver: **Oreo…haha I like it. 

**Twilighter88: **I was almost freaking out at one point when one landed on my head… (shudders) 

* * *

Rika closed her eyes as she waited for the pain that would surely accompany her death. She would die without even having actually lived. She had no family or friends to miss her and now no home to return to now that the _Albatross _had sank. At the moment she was glad she had nothing, it would make it easier for her to leave knowing she had nothing left to stay for. Her eyes shot open once again when she felt, not the searing pain of a blade piercing her flesh, but cold hands lock her arms behind her back and her wrists being bound together. The vampire was no longer in front of her and she knew it must be him confining her. "What are you doing?" Her voice had a hint of exasperation as well as curiosity.

"Taking you hostage." Itachi spoke taking a blunt approach rather than have to explain later.

"Why?" Her tone was incredulous as she raised a brow.

'_So much for not having to explain further.'_ Itachi almost sighed, "Because our captain requires information."

"And you think I'll give it to you?" She didn't like being perceived as weak, or a traitor.

"I know you will." Itachi stated as he started to push her forward, leading her towards the door that would take them off deck.

"Arrogant bastard."

"What was that?" Itachi's tone was harsh but he couldn't stop a smirk from making itself visible.

"I didn't stutter." Rika couldn't see the smirk or she would have given him a sound kick to the shin seeing as that was the only attack she could manage in her bound position.

"It's Uchiha Itachi."

"What?" She stopped walking and attempted to face him but he wouldn't allow it.

"My name is Uchiha Itachi, not arrogant bastard." He let out a small laugh that caused her to shiver. _'I have a feeling this interrogation is going to be interesting.' _

* * *

Orochimaru smiled, well if you could call the creepy way his lips turned upwards just slightly a smile. He finally did it. He had gotten rid of the pain in his side, he had killed Kakashi. He was almost . . . happy. It had been so long he had forgotten what the emotion actually felt like. He hadn't been happy since before he'd made the biggest mistake he'd ever made, before he cheated. He _had _loved her, had being the keyword. Now all that was left when he thought of her was hate, a blinding hate so intense that it consumed him just like his love for her used to consume him. He listened as footsteps drew closer and closer. "Was Rin successful?"

"Yes captain. She and the book are on board." Kabuto said as he used his index finger to push his glasses up, a small smirk making its way over his features. "She's quite the handful for her age."

"She'll learn her place soon enough. Once she's served her purpose . . . throw her overboard."

"As you wish."

"Take me to her. I wish to be done with her as soon as possible."

"Of course, right this way." Kabuto walked forward, seeing that his captain was following. He maneuvered the ships corridors confidently until he reached his destination, one of the empty rooms that had stayed vacant due to its damage in a previous battle. It was hardly hospitable but it worked for holding prisoners.

They found Hama sitting in the far corner, her grey hair disheveled and with bruises along her arms and on her face. She had put up a fight. Blood flowed from her cracked lip and she made no move to wipe the crimson liquid away. The book he had been searching for was clutched in her hands. Orochimaru walked until he was leaning over her using one hand to brace himself on the wall behind her. "What does it say?"

The old woman remained quiet her gazed stayed fixed on a spot to his left as if she wasn't even aware he was there. Orochimaru was not one known for his patience and it was showing. "Answer me you old hag!"

Hama looked up, her aged eyes filled with contempt, "You will never know what secrets this book has to hold. I will rot in hell before telling you." Just then he caught it, the glimmer of a silver blade. She pushed it into her heart after giving a triumphant smirk. She was free and he lost the only person who could give him what he wanted.

* * *

Naruto looked down at the small figure and felt his rage building up. Whoever had dared touch her would die. He bent down and took the small woman into his arms, picking her up. He took her to his room and sat down on the bed still cradling her. Her head rested against his chest and he moved some hair out of her face, it was sticky with blood. He slowly shifted her off him and grabbed a wet cloth out of a bowl on his dresser. Slowly and gently he wiped the metallic tasting liquid away, the wound underneath already healed because of a vampires ability to heal itself faster than the process would usually take. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you Hinata Chan. I'm so sorry."

The woman's eyes fluttered open and her brows furrowed for a moment before her eyes went wide and she shot up. "Where's Sakura?!"

She grew more frantic as she saw Naruto lower his eyes to the bed, "She's gone."

"I failed." Her whisper broke his heart. She sounded so defeated and pained.

"It's not your fault." Naruto brought his arms around her again and stroked her hair.

"I- I tried Naruto Kun. . . I tried." Her voice broke off and cracked at the end.

"I know." He pulled her closer and sighed into her hair, "I know."

* * *

She should have listened to Sasuke. That was the thought that kept repeating itself inside her head. He had warned her not to leave the safety of his room. For once she wished she would have just listened. She should have barricaded the door instead of flinging it open without thinking like she did. The metal bonds that held her wrists together were cold against her skin. How long had she been here? Tears threatened to fall from her eyes when she thought she might die in this dark room, cold and numb. She didn't know what they were going to do to her but if they were going to kill her she prayed it'd be quick. She forced herself to blink away the tears. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing her cry. She was going to be strong for herself and for Sasuke. She _would_ see him again.

It was hard for her to breathe with the chains wound tightly around her waist and chest, holding her to the stiff wooden chair. She could hear footsteps outside coming closer until they stopped in front of her door. Who was outside? What were they going to do to her? She wanted to panic. She wanted to break down and cry but she wouldn't allow herself to do so. _'I must be strong, no matter what they do.' _

The door slowly opened, the figure approached her. In the darkness she could make out the persons tall figure, then blonde hair, and finally the murderous blue eyes: Aria had come back. How could she have gone so far as to bring her here? Aria let out a wicked smile, "Miss me?"

Sakura glared, "I should have known you'd be involved in all this." By "This" Sakura meant the mutiny.

"Yes, you should have but you didn't did you?" Aria struck a match and lighted the candle she was holding, illuminating her face giving it an eerie look. She circled around Sakura looking her up and down. "I don't understand what Sasuke sees in you. Your hair is such a freakish color, your forehead is much too big for your face and you're almost as flat as a boy." Aria knew what she was saying wasn't true but it made herself feel better. "Why would Sasuke go for you when he had me?"

"Maybe you look worse? Or maybe it's the fact that you're a bitch? Then again it could be because you're a psychotic kidnapper. Who knows?" Sakura flashed her sweetest smile, loving the look of rage on the blondes face.

"You know, you have a big mouth for somebody in your position."

"I'm not scared of you." Sakura stared defiantly at the blonde. She could feel Aria's cold breath at the back of her neck.

She grabbed Sakura's hair and yanked her head back, her fangs now near her neck, "You should be."

* * *

Itachi walked back into the "Interrogation Room" which was really just an empty crewman's quarter. He had dropped off the human earlier before he returned to the deck to help clear the bodies. Now he was on his way back. When he opened the door he found the woman holding a young boy that was also taken hostage. He looked to be around eleven or so. She watched him as he walked towards them, stopping at an empty chair and sitting down. "Why were you with Orochimaru's crew?"

Rika motioned for the boy to keep quiet, "That's none of your concern."

"None of my concern? I think it is. Your people attacked us, our captain is injured, and your _allies_ have taken a girl from this ship, a girl who just happens to be like my sister, so I'll ask you again. Why were you with Orochimaru's crew?"

Something tugged at her heart, sympathy? But she didn't give in yet. She wasn't able to prove herself in battle but she still had a chance here. She didn't want to be seen as the weak link.

"If you aren't forthcoming with information I have other ways of getting it."

Rika looked at his eyes once again. The Sharingon, she'd heard of it once. She knew he would get any information he needed. "Orochimaru came to our ship. He forced an alliance with our captain under the threat that if we weren't to help him he'd get rid of us."

"Do you know anything about where they're going? What they're trying to do?"

"I heard some members of his crew talking about a book. I don't know why it was so important though."

Itachi raked a hand through his hair and sighed. He had already known what they were after, he just wanted to make sure. "Did they say anything about a human girl? What they were going to do with her?"

"No, I don't know anything about that." Rika could see the disappointment in his expression. "I'm sorry."

"Hn." Itachi got up and walked back towards the door. "I told you you'd tell me."

". . . Arrogant bastard."

* * *

"How are you feeling?" Kaori brushed some silver hair away from her lover's face.

"Been better . . . been worse." Kakashi attempted sitting up only to be pushed back down against his bed.

"You can't do that. You'll reopen your wound. It's not fully healed yet." She frowned disapprovingly at him. Her right hand rested on his cheek while the other was intertwined with his.

"How's Sasuke?"

"Not good." Kaori frowned, "He's worried about her. I almost feel sorry for Aria once we catch up to them."

"Go to him. He needs comfort more than I do." Kakashi let go of her hand and shut his eyes, "I was thinking about taking a nap anyway."

Kaori leaned forward to give him a chaste kiss before walking out the door, "I'll be back later."

* * *

Wow, I have a headache now… 

Just to clear something up, Orochimaru thinks he killed Kakashi but obviously he didn't. 

R&R please! And Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter, it was the most reviews I've ever gotten on just one chapter of any story I've written. (Does happy dance) Woot!


	26. Aria's Fall

Hello dear readers, my apology for updating so late. It seemed like every time I sat down to write somebody called or I had to go somewhere or do something. Also my laptop that I write on has gotten another virus. I had most of this chapter written when I went to pick up my sister Jasmin from Virginia but now I'm unable to gain access to it so I had to start over. So again, Sorry. 

**alamodie: **Yup, that's where I got the song. I'm a fan of the series… and anything that has to do with vampires really… lol. 

**ItachixSakura Forever: **Thanks for telling me, I had thought I had it enabled …whoops. 

**Bleachfan93: **Thank you and I agree, that was pretty stupid of him. :)

**Twilighter88: **I was trapped in a grocery store during a tornado once when I was little… they took us down in this giant freezer room… too cold lol. 

**Sara856403: **They might, you never know ;)

For all of you who hate Aria, I think you'll like this chapter. 

NOTE: I now have anonymous reviews enabled. 

* * *

"Can't this damn ship go any faster?" Sasuke growled. He could see Orochimaru's ship clearly, it was just out of his reach. _She_ was just out of his reach. _'I should have stayed down there with her. Its my fault she's gone. I couldn't protect her. No, I could have, but failed. I _failed _to protect her.' _His hands were in tight fists, nails digging into his skin so hard they drew blood. _'Who knows what those fucking bastards are doing to her? Maybe she's already dead.' _His Sharingan activated unconsciously making the glare he currently held look even more deadly. _'If she has so much as a scratch on her…' _

"The ships going at full speed Sasuke, we'll reach them by night fall in a few hours." Kaori spoke from behind him. It hurt to see her cousin in that much pain, she knew he blamed himself. She lifted a hand to rest comfortingly on his shoulder only to have him jerk away.

"Aria is mine. If somebody tries to kill her before I do, I'll take them out as well." His voice held such deep malice that it made her flinch.

Kaori tensed, this wasn't her cousin anymore. She'd never seen him so infuriated, so ready to kill anyone regardless if they were friend or foe. His voice didn't even sound the same, it was deeper with a sort of sadistic rage to it. She knew he wouldn't be himself again until he had Aria's blood on his hands. "Aria will pay for what she did." Her voice was confident and unafraid despite the fact that her own cousin was indeed scaring her.

* * *

Sakura opened her eyes and stared at the deep wounds and bruises that littered her entire body. The black and purple marks were everywhere along with the blood, so much blood, _too _much blood. She knew that if she didn't do something, she would bleed to death. She was already starting to feel faint and lightheaded. She moved her limbs, enduring the pain that shot through her like white hot lighting. _'No broken bones at least.'_ She had been taking it slow, staring with flesh wounds and ending with breaking every bone in her body. Somebody had come in to get her before Aria had gotten to that point though.

"Stay still."

Sakura jumped at the sudden sound of the voice causing pain to once again shoot through her. She squeezed her eyes shut to prevent any tears from coming out.

"I'll try not to hurt you anymore but you must remain still."

She opened her eyes and looked at the man, "Rin?" Her voice came out in a disbelieving whisper, "What are you doing here? Were you taken hostage too?" She felt something cool touch her leg and looked down to see Rin wiping away her blood with a wet rag.

He continued to ignore her while cleaning and bandaging her numerous cuts. "It won't completely stop the bleeding, some of these are just too deep… but it'll help."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me Sakura." He turned away from her, putting the rag back into the now bloody water filled basin.

"You aren't a hostage… are you?" She made it sound more like a statement than a question. She knew he wasn't, she just wanted to have hope that he'd prove her wrong.

"I'm not."

"You, you helped the mutiny," Her eyes narrowed into a glare, "_how could you_?"

"Don't worry about it. You'll be out of here soon when _Sasuke_ comes for you."

"He'll kill you." It was a fact. If Rin betrayed the crew he could be sure that Sasuke would waste no time in getting rid of him.

"Probably," He opened the door to her room, "but that shouldn't bother you right?" He gave a sad smile back at her.

"It won't."

"Orochimaru will be here soon… I hope your lover makes it in time." And the door was shut.

* * *

"Damn it!" Sasuke's fist slammed into the ships railing, completely breaking it off, "Are you sure?"

"That's what I saw. I'm sorry Sasuke San." Hinata bowed her head before the fuming Uchiha in front of her. She didn't really want to tell him of her vision, she knew it would only add to the worry and rage he had building up inside him but she knew that he had the right to know, "If it changes, I'll let you know."

"Thank you Hinata." Itachi said coming to stand beside his brother, "Will you go check on the hostages for me please?" The small vampire nodded and made her leave after apologizing a third time.

"I'm going in alone." Sasuke spoke up, closing his eyes, trying to will his tense body to relax.

"I won't let you do that." Itachi frowned.

"Itachi.."

"Listen to me Sasuke," He grabbed Sasuke's shoulder and twisted him so they were face to face, "I have no doubt that you could, eventually, get through Orochimaru's guards but by the time you did, Hinata's vision could make itself a reality. Or worse, she could die."

Sasuke let out a snarl, "**I won't let that vision happen**."

"You wont, as long as you allow at least Kaori, Naruto, and I to follow you on board. We'll take care of Orochimaru's minions and you can look for Sakura."

"Fine," Sasuke moved a hand to his katana, his eyes still focused on the ship ahead of them, "We'll reach them soon. Be ready or I'm leaving without you."

* * *

"What do you want with me?" Sakura watched as Orochimaru circled around her. She had been moved after Aria's beating to a new room but she found she liked the old one better now. The room looked like any other crewman's quarters, nightstand, desk, large chest in the corner, a bed. A bed she was currently chained to and she didn't like the look she was receiving from the other occupant of the room.

"So your Sasuke's plaything?" His fingers traced her jaw, "I must say, he has good taste." A wicked smirk made its way onto his face, "You don't think he'd mind sharing, do you?" His hand reached down and groped her chest.

"Don't touch me!" She thrashed about trying to get out of his grip but it only made him hold her tighter.

"You know," he licked her neck, "I tried to get Sasuke kun to join my crew."

"Stop it!" She closed her legs tightly but he pried them apart and settled between her thighs, both of them still clothed.

"He refused me though." His hand snuck under her shirt, "That body of his, such a _powerful_ boy."

"Let me go!"

"Now, I'll have my revenge for him rejecting me." His fingers fiddled with the button on her pants.

'_Sasuke, help me!' _

* * *

Sasuke ran past Itachi, Kaori, and Naruto who were busy with Orochimaru's crew. His Sharingan was activated and spinning rapidly, his katana unsheathed and gripped firmly in his hands slicing down anybody in his path. Every door he came across he kicked in and so far he hadn't found her. Suddenly he stopped, "Aria." He was across the hallway in seconds, taking her by the throat and slamming her into the nearest wall. "Where is she?" He hissed, his hands constricting on her throat even further.

"It's.. too late." Her blue eyes shone with a sort of victory.

"_Where.is.she_?" He pulled her forward and slammed her back again, her head hitting the wall with a sickening thud.

"I.. don't …know." She choked out, blood starting to stain her blonde hair.

"Then you are of no use to me." Sasuke's hand pierced through her chest, grabbed her heart and yanked it out. (A/N: For **Neko Grafic**) Her eyes had widened momentarily, her mouth open in a silent scream of agony before she turned to dust. Sasuke didn't bother wiping his bloody hand before unsheathing his katana again and taking off.

He had heard something, no not something, he had heard her. She was screaming and it was coming from his right.

* * *

Well, that took me a while… I ended up listening to Atreyu, Evanescence, and Linkin Park while writing this. Very good bands. 

R&R please. 


	27. Death of a Cherry Blossom

Lately family issues and traveling have prevented me from updating and pretty much zapped my inspiration so, my apologies. 

**Sasu-Saku-cherryblossom: **Thank you! :) Long reviews are awesome and much appreciated lol. 

**taiyauchiha21: **Thanks, Rin is going to continue to have an important role, not so much in this story but the sequel. So he's not going to be gotten rid of just yet. 

**Neko Grafic: **Your welcome, it seemed to be a fitting way for her to die. :)

**XxBlackRose02xX: **I hope you did well on your exams, but then again I'm sure you did. :) 

**Muzik Maniac: **I felt bad about how short it was but I hope the content in this chapter makes up for it. 

**Kuryu: **Yup, that book series was part of my inspiration. 

**nickygirl: **Thanks, I know what you mean about nothing being as good as twilight. It's by far the best vampire series I've read. :) 

**ItachixSakura Forever: **Hehe, because I'm evil! :) 

Wow guys, the number of reviews **DOUBLED **from the last chapter. You make me happy. :) 

**WARNING: This chapter is a little gruesome with dismembered bodies and an attempted rape scene. If that sort of thing freaks you out… you might want to skip some area's of this chapter. **

* * *

Fear, panic, and a consuming hate for the man above her was all she could feel. She had numbed herself to the feel of his vile hands on her body. _'This is it. He's going to rape me.' _A part of her wanted to cry but no tears would fall from her eyes. She forced the fear and panic to subside and allowed the hate to take over. She wasn't going to make this easy for him, the last thing he would be feeling is pleasure. Her constant thrashing had made her wounds bleed even more quickly. The thick crimson liquid was staining the white bandages where it seeped through. The blood loss was making her lightheaded but she wouldn't stop. She'd bleed to death before letting him take her. Her arms pulled on the chains above her head, willing them to snap even though she knew she didn't posses the kind of strength to make it happen. Her wrists turned and pulled trying to slip out of the cold metal bonds that were cutting into her skin.

His lips crashed down on hers, his tongue forcing its way into her mouth. She bit down, hard. She could taste the coppery liquid in her mouth before he quickly pulled away. She had made him bleed. Good. His lips twisted into a snarl, "You little bitch!"

A hand constricted around her throat choking off her air supply, "I'll teach you to mess with me." He released her throat only to elbow her in the stomach causing her to wheeze as the air was once again knocked out of her. "Not so tough now are you?"

Still breathing heavily, the corner of her lips slowly lifted in a smirk, "I'm tougher than you think." Her hands came towards his face, having slipped out of her bonds, and her fingers dug into his eye sockets. A hiss escaped his lips as his hands latched onto hers, pulling them away. Her nails dug into the skin of his hand as he pinned her arms above her head.

"I'm through messing with you girl. Now I'm taking what I want." Her thrashing continued but it didn't stop him from removing her clothes from the lower half of her body. His cold hand brushed over her and she fought harder. Her leg that had been pinned down by his freed and her knee shot up, aiming for his groin. A loud groan told her that she had succeeded.

'_Take that bastard!' _

"You insolent little wench!" A firm hand smacked her across the face. She could feel the blood flowing out of her now busted lip.

A loud bang sounded and he laughed, a horse, horrible sound, "Nice of you to join us, Sasuke Kun."

"_Orochimaru!_" Sasuke stood, entire body tense and Sharingan spinning wildly. His katana was unsheathed and poised for attack, "I'll _kill_ you!" Sasuke advanced but Orochimaru was just as quick, successfully dodging the attack.

Sasuke's Sharingan gaze was locked onto the undead creature in front of him but he could see Sakura from the corner of his eye. His blood boiled and his rage grew even more. She was bleeding profusely from multiple spots all over her body. She was bruised and battered. Tears that she hadn't aloud to fall were now making their way down her beautiful face. He could still see the image of Orochimaru on top of her half naked form, groping her. He was going to pay.

"Silly Sasuke kun, you can't kill me. It's impossible, remember?" Orochimaru smirked as he grabbed his own sword from the floor where his shirt also was.

"We'll see about that."

* * *

"What's taking teme so long?"

Itachi grunted as he was hit in the stomach by a random crew member before he landed a swift kick to the man's abdomen sending him flying into three other men, taking them all out, "I don't know but he better hurry up. These _things_ just don't know when to quit."

"I'm starting to worry about him." Kaori said while giving the man before her a good punch to the temple, "He's been in there a while. What if he can't deal with Orochimaru on his own?"

"I'll tell you what. If- "Naruto swung his sword decapitating a man, "he doesn't come out soon, I'm going in after him."

"He won't like that," Itachi mentioned, "but it's probably a good idea."

"Naruto you baka watch out!"

"Huh?... Oh!" Naruto narrowly avoided a fatal blow to the head by sidestepping an oncoming opponent.

"Don't get yourself killed Naruto or Hinata is going to be very cross with me for not preventing your death. And an angry Hinata is not something I want to deal with." Kaori said, still hacking down anyone in her way.

"Yeah, yeah."

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." Itachi commented, dismembering another opponent.

"Yeah, you'd know all about that wouldn't you Itachi?" Naruto snickered.

"Shut up."

* * *

Metallic clanks sounded as the swords danced and clashed dangerously together. The opponent's bodies, like an extension of their own weapons, moved swiftly and surely without fault. Sakura watched almost amazed at the speed they moved around the room. Her eyes lids were feeling heavier by the second, begging her to close them and rest but she wouldn't let herself pass out yet. Not until she was sure Sasuke was okay and Orochimaru was dead, or as close to it as he could get.

'_Be careful Sasuke.' _

She could tell Orochimaru was starting to slip up. Sasuke was coming at him too fast and hard for even him to keep up. All Orochimaru had to do is leave himself open, just once and Sakura knew he would be gone.

There it was, he had failed to block himself and Sasuke had quickly taken advantage, his sword coming down and hacking the other mans arm off. Swiftly his sword moved again, wasting no time before removing the other arm as well. Orochimaru's sword still gripped in his pale hand fell to the floor. Blood covered the wall and Sasuke but he still wasn't stopping. He wasn't just trying to kill the man, he was getting revenge for her and for him.

The next thing that Sasuke took care of was his legs, now all that was left was his head and torso bleeding profusely on the floor. He was still alive, felt everything because he could not die and Sasuke was taking great pleasure in his suffering. If it were not for her being a doctor and her hate for Orochimaru, the sight and stench of the blood along with the picture of the dismembered limbs lying on the ground would have made her sick.

A sadistic smile spread over Sasuke's features as he stood over the cursed man. He leaned down and whispered something in Orochimaru's ear, too low for her to hear, and then with one more swing, removed his head from the rest of his body at the neck. Sasuke sheathed his katana and turned around, Sharingan fading from his eyes as he made his way towards her.

"Sakura . . ." He crouched beside her, brushing the blood soaked hair out of her face.

"Sasuke!" She threw herself into his embrace, clinging to him as if her life depended on it. "I knew you'd come," The tears continued but a smile broke out on her face, "I knew. . ." Her hand came up to caress his cheek, her thumb wiping away some blood there.

Sasuke continued to hold her broken body, even though he had her back he felt defeated knowing that he let this much harm come to her. "I'm so sorry Sakura. I . . ." He was choking up. He leaned down, his forehead rested on hers.

"So sleepy . . ."

His eyes opened to see hers closing, she had lost too much blood, she was going to pass out. "Sakura, stay with me." His hand brushed her cheek but she didn't move, didn't open her eyes.

'_Get her out of here you idiot!' _

Sasuke slipped an arm under her knees and picked her up bridal style, holding her close to him.

'_The sooner she gets back on the Crimson Flood the better. She's going to die if you don't get your ass going. MOVE!' _

* * *

"Teme! I was just about to come in after y - . . .Sakura Chan!"

Itachi stopped what he was doing and directed his attention towards his brother and the woman he was holding. "Naruto, help Sasuke get Sakura back to the ship! Kaori and I will take care of things here!"

Naruto nodded and started clearing away the deck. Sasuke became his shadow, following after. Everybody that came near them was taken out by Naruto before they could get anywhere near the two he was guarding. In a matter of minutes they were back on their own ship, Sasuke still clutching an impossibly pale Sakura.

"She's lost too much blood." Naruto looked Sasuke in the eye, "We're going to have to do it."

"No!" Sasuke laid her down, "Somebody get help damn it!"

"She's not going to make it Sasuke! We have to change her!"

Sasuke stared down at her. She was so pale. He felt like he was being torn apart. He couldn't change her. What if she didn't want to be a vampire? What if she hated him for it? He couldn't change her without her consent. He wouldn't. He couldn't bear to have her hate him. He couldn't bear to see her hate herself and what he would make her become. How could he force her to become an immortal if he himself wasn't even sure he wanted to be one anymore?

'_Because she'll die if you don't. Permanently.' _

'_There has to be another way!' _

'_THERE IS NO OTHER WAY!' _

"Teme you have to do it NOW!"

Sasuke quickly brought his wrist to his mouth, cutting himself so he bled freely. He placed his wrist to Sakura's mouth and allowed his blood to flow past her lips. Soon her heart would stop beating, forever.

* * *

And there, an update after so long. There's likely to be many grammatical errors. Even though I read it over again I always manage to miss some. 

Review please! 


	28. Awakened

I just got back from Elyria and felt like writing so… here it is! 

**Muzik Maniac: **Awesome, hopefully I do as well this time too. :)

**Neko Grafic: **Yes it did, but Orochimaru isn't a vampire. He and his crew are human but were cursed by Mira who was a witch. The curse is what makes him immortal so he can't spread it… er… I'm not explaining this well am I? Think pirates of the Caribbean, the creepy dudes that couldn't die. 

**AkatsukizPet: **Yes, I did lol. Wow your homepage? (Goes speechless while squealing happily in her head) 

**SakuraUchiha-fanclub: **Yup, after twenty seven chapters she's finally a vampire lol. 

* * *

Heavy footsteps were the only sound that broke the uncomfortable silence as more vampires made their way into the captain's office. The atmosphere of the room grew tense with the approach of the final person to arrive. The others moved out of his way as he came through. The emotionless look on his face didn't hide the fact that everyone knew he didn't want to be there and no one blamed him. Meetings were never called unless there was something of importance to discuss but nothing was more important to Uchiha Sasuke than who was waiting for him in his room.

"Now that you're all here," Kakashi sat at his desk, his hands folded in a solemn manner before him, "we'll begin. I want details on all the recent . . . events." He paused for the lack of a better word.

"Hagetaka has been released from his prison cell. It appears he was telling the truth about not being part of the mutiny. Also the hostages from the hunter's ship have been placed in their own quarters with the doors guarded at all times." Itachi spoke up from his position to the left side of the room.

"Good." Kakashi, having the innate ability to tell that there was more, continued on the subject. "Have they caused any problems?"

Itachi nodded, an irritated look marking his features but his eyes held a hint of amusement. "The girl has attempted to escape more than once. She's been making things difficult for whoever I place in charge of her." He let out a sigh, "She's quite stubborn."

'_I mean really, where is she trying to escape to? We're in the middle of an ocean for Christ sake. Does she really think she can swim as long as it would take her to reach any sort of land?' _

Kakashi raised a brow. The human was turning out to be more trouble than he thought she'd be. "I want you guarding her at all times. Keep her in line until we figure out what to do with her and the boy."

"Hai."

"Shikamaru," Kakashi turned his attention to the lazy genius. "Is there a town on a near by island where we can drop them off?"

"Not for a while unless we alter course." Shikamaru replied in his usual bored tone.

"We don't have time to change course, looks like they'll be staying for a while." Kakashi leaned back and sighed, "Naruto, any news of Hama?"

"We . . . we think she's dead sir." The blonde's head tilted down towards the end of his sentence. He knew that Hama had been a part of his captain's life as a human, one of his only links to that stage of his existence. He regretted having to tell him she was most likely gone.

"And the book?" Kakashi remained objective despite the sadness that was taking him over inside.

"Still in Orochimaru's possession." Kaori answered, her hand resting on his shoulder for support.

"Should we go after it?" Hinata asked, shifting her weight from foot to foot nervously. The idea of getting into another fight with Orochimaru's crew didn't sound appealing to her. So many had died already, so many had been injured, nobody was ready for more.

"No. I already know what the book says and if Hama _is_ dead then the book will be of no use to them. Any and all useful information is encrypted and Hama was the only one left who could read it." Kakashi resisted the urge to frown. Using words like 'was' in relation to Hama was to strange for him to grasp just yet.

"So what now?"

"Now Naruto, you're all dismissed . . . except for you Sasuke."

Naruto, Shikamaru, Itachi, Kaori and Hinata filed out the door as Sasuke walked forward from his spot in the back corner of the room. He knew what this was about and was glad Kakashi had gotten rid of the others. He was still too tense to have them all crowding him, even if their intentions were good.

"How is she?" Kakashi knew what the boy was going through. His tense frame and strained expression were proof enough. Some people didn't completely survive the transformation but if that were the case she would have shown signs before now. He was sure Sakura had gotten enough of Sasuke's blood but he knew things were still hard for the young Uchiha.

"As good as can be expected." The bitter tone to Sasuke's voice almost made Kakashi inwardly flinch. "She's been asleep for the past twenty-four hours."

"That's normal considering the change that's happening to her body." It took a lot out of a person to undergo a transformation like that. Every single cell had to be remodeled with their new vampire DNA.

"Hn."

"I heard that you killed Orochimaru?" Kakashi changed subject, looking him eyes.

Sasuke nodded, his expression changing to one of total indifference but his eyes showed a bit of pain. Kakashi got the feeling that something more than a beating happened to Sakura while she was on board.

"Hmm . . . well, the change will be complete soon and you should be there when she wakes up so I'll let you get back to her."

'_The curse was supposed to have made him immortal. Something tells me we haven't seen the last of Orochimaru yet.' _

* * *

Sasuke slowly made his way over to his bed, his posture relaxing when he saw Sakura still sleeping peacefully. Her hair, which was now a shade brighter than its usual pastel pink as a result of the vampire genes talking over, was spread out over his pillows. Her already pale skin was even paler, now looking even more like his own skin. Even her fingernails were longer and perfectly curved and instead of the blankets rising and falling with each breath she took like it normally would, there was no movement. She was now immortal, a vampire.

He sat on the edge of the bed, his hand reaching out to brush some hair out of her face. Her skin was perfectly smooth, all cuts and bruises had healed with no scars to prove that they were ever there. His fingers ran over her lips, which were now even softer. She sighed softly in her sleep and unconsciously moved closer to him. Sasuke let out a small smile and took her hand in his, intertwining their fingers. Emotions poured through him, more than he'd ever experienced at one time in his life. There was relief, fear, shame, anger, and then an overpowering feeling of love for the woman lying next to him. Relief that she had made it though the change unharmed, fear that she'd hate him when she woke, shame that he hadn't protected her which caused them to be in their current situation, and anger at Orochimaru and Aria for hurting her.

"Mmm." Sakura shifted slightly and stretched. Slowly her green eyes fluttered open and Sasuke's gaze was immediately drawn to them. They were the most brilliant shade of green he'd ever seen. She blinked a few times before she was able to focus on his face, "Sasuke kun?"

"Sakura –"

She launched herself into his arms almost knocking him from the bed. She wasn't used to her new found strength yet. Her arms wrapped around his neck and her head rested against his shoulder, clinging to him. His head came down to rest atop hers after kissing her forehead lightly.

"Careful, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, I feel great." She nuzzled into him, too happy to have him with her to realize that she shouldn't have been feeling 'great' after being beaten and almost raped.

Sasuke closed his eyes and grimaced, "Sakura, there's something I have to tell you." He had decided to tell her just after she woke. He knew she'd recognize something was up soon and he didn't want her to think he was hiding something from her.

"I didn't want to do it but . . . it was the only way." His voice was steadily getting softer and the words started poring from him, not even thinking about what he was saying before he spoke it. "You were going to die and I couldn't let that happen because I love you _so_ _damn_ much and –"

Her mind froze, stuck on those three words. She felt like telling him that whatever else he needed to tell her could wait because he had just told her the most important thing that he ever could. She felt herself forgetting about being abducted, about Orochimaru and Aria. All she could register at the moment was Sasuke. "You said . . ." A breathtaking smile broke out over her face as she pulled away to look at him.

His eyes widened realizing what he had said. She was staring at him but he avoided her eyes, looking instead at the wall to his right, "Hn."

She realized that he was feeling uncomfortable and her silent staring probably wasn't helping. Her hands reached up to turn his face towards her so he'd look her in the eyes, so he could see that she meant what she was about to say. She knew her eyes were always the things that gave her away but this time that's what she needed. "I love you too Sasuke kun."

A genuine smile made its way onto his lips before he realized that he'd been sidetracked on what he was really trying to tell her earlier. "You won't for long." He mumbled forgetting that with her new enhanced senses that she'd be able to hear him.

"Why is that?" Her brows furrowed slightly.

'_What could he have done to make him think I'd no longer care for him once he told me?' _

"Look at yourself Sakura."

She looked down and a small confused frown appeared on her face, she was healed. How could that be? Her voice sounded different to her as well, almost musical, she hadn't noticed it before. "What's going on?"

His mouth formed a thin line and his eyes closed. For a moment she thought he wasn't going to answer her. "You're no longer human. I changed you yesterday." His head turned to look away from her, not wanting to see the look of pain and anger that was probably there.

She looked down again to examine herself closer. She knew he was telling the truth, she could see how her body had changed. She could _feel _it. She felt strong, powerful, beautiful even. She had never considered herself beautiful, pretty yes, but not beautiful and certainly nothing compared to the woman on this ship. Her fingers ran over the pale, flawless skin of her arm. She realized she could smell the salt water of the ocean, hear birds flapping their wings from outside, vampires walking around on deck, murmurs of conversations meters away. For being 'undead' she felt more alive than she had ever been, more in tune to everything around her.

'_He's such an idiot.' _

"You think I'm mad at you?" Her voice was incredulous and he slowly turned to face her again, "You saved my life, you didn't have a choice." Her voice grew soft and caring, "And sorry about your luck but you can't make me stop loving you that easily." She flashed him a smile, her hands holding his face, thumbs brushing over his cheeks. His eyes widened again before she giggled and pulled him into a kiss which he was quick to respond to. It was simple, just a soft brushing of lips but it made him feel more than even the deepest of kisses they had shared.

* * *

Small feet hit the floor, propelling the petite woman through the hallways at an impressively fast pace. Adrenaline pumped through her veins and pushed her forward. She was so close last time, but this time she would make it and then she would send help for the boy later. It was too dangerous to take him with her at the moment. She knew he'd be fine until help could arrive. Her grey eyes scanned the path in front of her, watching carefully for any vampires that would try and stop her. She knew if one of them saw her that it was all over, just like the last three times. She almost huffed, _'The arrogant bastards.'_ They had all assumed a human couldn't possibly put up any sort of struggle against them. She was going to show them just how wrong they were.

Her long dark brown hair whipped behind her as she turned another corner. Just a few more feet and she was home free.

The window was small but it was just big enough for someone of her size to fit through. She couldn't risk going on deck, too many of the undead there, so the window was her only option. She pulled back the black velvet curtain that covered the circular hole. Her fingers gripped the edge and she pulled herself up so that her head and shoulders were sticking outside. Slowly she wigged until her chest and upper body were out as well only to realize that she had a slight problem. She was stuck. Normally she loved her slightly wide hips that gave her an hour-glass sort of figure but now she cursed them. The damned thing was preventing her escape! Using her arms she pushed with as much force as she could muster against the ship from the outside and wiggled some more . . . wait, why was she moving backwards?

Strong hands had a hold of her hips and were drawing her back into the ship, her prison. She struggled against him, pushing against the ship with all her might but he was far too strong. She knew that in a battle of brute strength with a vampire she would lose, but she sure as hell wasn't going back without a fight!

The hands slid up and were now around her stomach, still pulling. Bit by bit she grew tired and weaker until the hands pulled her completely inside again. "What the hell were you doing?" She inwardly groaned, she knew that voice.

"Trying to escape, genius. What did it look like?" She turned to face him, folding her arms across her chest.

"Escape huh?" Itachi raised a brow in amusement, "What were you going to do, swim to freedom?"

"Er, yes." Rika almost slapped herself in the forehead for how stupid it sounded when she actually said it. It had made more sense it her mind, really.

"You know," Itachi put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall opposite her, "that's the stupidest escape plan I've heard yet and trust me, I've heard quite a few."

Rika narrowed her eyes, her index finger poking him in the chest which caused him to yet again raise a brow at her behavior, "Why you- "

"Arrogant Bastard?" Itachi finished for her. "Really, is that the only name you can come up with?" He teased, a smirk making its way onto his face.

"You're so . . . so . . . just UGH!" She threw her hands in the air then began to rub her temples, closing her eyes in frustration.

He almost chuckled, _almost. _"You really shouldn't let your guard down like that." In one swift movement she was hoisted over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"H-hey! Put me down!" Her hands fisted and pounded against his back as she shouted.

"Nope." Itachi continued his way back to her room, holding the struggling girl in place with one arm. Her legs began to swing, one of her knees heading fast for a place under the belt. His other arm gripped her legs tightly, stopping her just in time and saving him a world of pain. "Now that wasn't very nice."

"Screw you."

* * *

Well, slightly longer than the last one I believe. :)

R&R people! It's much appreciated! 


	29. Children?

I've just gotten my own copy of Breaking Dawn and I haven't been able to put it down long enough to write heh heh. Sorry! Good news though is if you're reading this then I've posted another chapter! :) 

**xxAngel.Of.Twilightxx: **Yup, big fan :) Vampires and anime are my two main things also lol. 

**XxBlackRose02xX: **I'm glad to hear that about your exams :) I just got my own copy of Breaking Dawn :D since for some unfathomable reason my boyfriend loves me enough to waste his money on things to surprise me with (Huggles Book) I don't know why, I just have this thing where I feel guilty when people spend money on me. (shrugs) 

**gianna loves SasuSaku: **Yup, I'm defiantly finishing it. I'm also planning on a sequel. And Thanks :) 

**md5will: **Maybe, I haven't thought much about it yet lol. 

**Romance is Me: **Neji and Tenten probably won't be making an appearance in this story but they will defiantly be in the sequel :) 

**Note: **_If anyone asked me a question and I haven't replied to you as seen above, I'm sorry. It gets hard to get everyone sometimes seeing as I tend to be a bit absent minded. _

* * *

Cold eyes stared at the body lying motionless on the bed. The white sheets were stained crimson with blood that continued to flow, never stopping. No bandages were used, for they were un-needed. The overwhelming smell of the red liquid was rancid and filled the room entirely for it had seeped into the wood, staining the walls and floor. The sight was gruesome to say the least. Dismembered limbs started to connect together, fleshy pieces stringing the parts back into place. Muscles and cells started to reform.

Pain coursed through his entire body as nerve endings reconnected and went back into working condition, alerting him to the damage his body had endured. He felt as if he were on fire, the pain of regeneration so intense. His head was throbbing as the blunt pain ripped through his being and into his mind, twisting him. The ache sliced at his skin like razors and broken glass. He was no where finished though. His mouth opened as to laugh, despite the pain, but all that emitted was a sickly gurgling sound as more blood poured out. His lungs were filled with it and his body was now correcting the situation.

Rin turned away from the sight of the body healing itself. He could stop it now. Make up for his betrayal and finish the man off for good. Sasuke hadn't done it completely, he'd had Sakura to worry about. Orochimaru would once again be whole. He could turn around, take the man's head which was held to his neck by thick red chords of new muscle and fleshy strips and chuck it in the ocean. The rest of his body would regenerate but what was the body without its head, its brain? It would be useless. Orochimaru would be no more. But he didn't move, didn't act on his thoughts because he needed the man to recover, needed something that only _he_ could give him. After everything he'd done he wouldn't let a little guilt trip detour him from his goal, he'd come way too far to let anything stop him.

A part of him, a small part, knew that he couldn't let Orochimaru die for another reason. He was a selfish person, he never denied it. It burned him inside that _she_ had chosen another over him. A small part of him wanted her to suffer. A larger part of him wanted Sasuke to suffer. With Orochimaru he could hit two birds with one stone and if that meant acting like a pawn then so be it.

The gurgling behind him never ceased as he made his way out the door. Yes, Orochimaru wasn't done with yet. Not by a long shot.

* * *

Smooth, pale fingers traced lightly over his jaw, followed soon after by her soft pink lips. His hands tightened their grip on her waist, shifting her closer to him. Her name escaped his own lips in a contented sigh as she started kissing gently down his neck. He could feel her smiling against his skin before she made her way back up his pale neck to breathe gently against his ear. She tugged gently at his ear lobe with her teeth causing him to shudder slightly, much to her delight. "Please, Sasuke kun?" Her musical voice rang seductively in his ear.

"Sakura," He frowned at her causing her to pout, "You can't avoid it forever."

"But I promise, I'm not even thirsty yet." Her voice sounded a bit whiney, even to her. It wasn't true, she could feel the slight ache at her throat and she knew what she needed but she wasn't sure that she could do it just yet. He'd been trying to get her to feed for an hour now. "Can we just go out for a little bit? I want to see Hinata and everyone, please?" Her hands were on his chest now, her eyes staring into his with a pleading look.

'_I know how we could get her interested' _

'_Hn. Tempting but I couldn't do that anyway. Not until she sees Kaori or at least Ino.' _

'_So I guess we're giving in huh?' _

'_For now.' _Sasuke let out a smirk at the thoughts going through his head.

'_You know, tonight's a full moon.' _

'_Oh, I know.' _

"Sasuke kun?" Sakura looked up at him in a confused manner as this smirk on his face made itself more prominent.

"We'll go out for a bit Sa-ku-ra" He had leaned in so his lips brushed slightly over hers as he spoke, "There's something you need to talk to my cousin about anyway."

Sakura smiled as he pulled away, "Thanks." His last sentence hadn't registered in her mind just yet.

"Hn." His smirk was back in its place as he pulled her off the bed, grasping her hand in his as he led her out his door.

* * *

Itachi continued to stare intently at the girl shifting uncomfortably on her bed. Every once in a while she would throw and irritated glare in his direction that he would ignore. He watched her every move and was slightly amused by how much it seemed to bother her. He couldn't believe that she had escaped before. He really needed more competent people under his command. Really, how does one human get past a vampire that's supposed to be guarding her? She's not near as strong or fast as them so what was the problem? And not only did she get by once, but four times, _four _times! He couldn't believe that some of the members of this crew were so inept that they couldn't keep track of her. But now that he was assigned to guard her, she wasn't going anywhere. He would make sure of it.

"Do you _mind_?" Her agitated voice broke through the silence. He knew she wouldn't keep quiet for long.

"Nope." A smirk graced his lips, making her scowl at him.

"Does the task of guarding me include staring at me like an idiot?" She growled while glaring at him.

"Not really." He shrugged, his smirk still in place.

"Then why the hell are you in my room gawking at me?!"

"First, I'm not gawking and second," His smirk became a smile, "because you don't like it."

"Asshole."

Itachi let out a small laugh, "Well that's a new one."

"So is this your guys' plan? Kill by annoyance? 'Cause your sure working on it." She turned to lean her back against the wall, her expression still set in a scowl.

Itachi leaned back in the wooden chair he was sitting in, propping his feet on the table in front of him, his arms folded across his chest. "Tch. If anyone's annoying, it's you." He watched as her face turned from frustrated to infuriated in a matter of seconds. He was in for it now.

"Me?! _You're_ the one holding me in this god forsaken ship against my will! _You're _the one who won't let me escape! If _I'm_ so god damned annoying then why don't you just let me go?! OR you could just kill me! Then you'd be done with me and you wouldn't have to worry about _me_ annoying _you_ anymore!" Rika growled at him. Sometime during her rant she had stood from her bed and stalked across the room so she was standing right in front of him, his feet had fallen to the floor and he was now sitting up straight as she leaned towards him. "Just do it. Kill me."

Itachi stared at her for a moment. Her chest was heaving up and down with her heavy breaths, her hands were fisted on the table on either side of him and her expression was daring him to fulfill her words. Too bad he had no intention of killing her, ever. "See? Annoying."

"ARGH!"

* * *

Sakura squinted as her eyes adjusted to the slightly brighter light outside. The sun had just set and the sky was slowly darkening again. The deck was full of vampires, most of them staring at Sasuke and herself as they made their way across the ship. Her heightened senses made everything so vivid. The water was a darker blue, the air smelt fresher than it had before, still with a heavy sent of salt though. Her ears picked up every sound, every footstep every one of the vampires made as they walked. She was awed by it all. Her now adjusted eyes sighted a head of blonde hair moving rapidly towards them.

"Sakura Chan!!" Naruto embraced her, her feet lifting off the floor as he spun her around in a circle a few times.

"Put her down dobe!"

Naruto turned his attention to his seething best friend and did as he was told, scratching the back of his head awkwardly afterwards. "Heh heh . . . Sorry Teme!"

Sasuke continued to glare at the blonde while he used one arm to pull Sakura to him, holding her around the waist protectively. "Hn."

"It's good to see you Naruto." Sakura smiled at him ignoring Sasuke's death glare at the poor half vampire- half demon.

"You too Sakura Chan. You look great." He smiled back, an awkward silence encompassing them. Nobody wanted to bring up _why_ they hadn't seen each other in a while.

"Thanks, do you know where we could find Hinata Chan?" Sakura asked sensing how uneasy everyone was, not wanting to bring up something that would make her sad.

"Yeah, she's with the kids." Naruto laughed at Sakura's confused expression.

"Thanks dobe." Sasuke started to pull Sakura back towards the door that would lead them off deck again.

"I didn't know Naruto and Hinata had children."

Sasuke almost chuckled.

* * *

Sakura looked down at the child who was tugging on her pant leg asking for her attention. He looked to be around four years old with red hair and golden colored eyes. She quickly decided that he was absolutely adorable. He was smiling up at her while jumping up and down excitedly. "Hina Chan wants you!" He pointed behind him to the dark haired woman who was holding another child who looked to be about one while another four year old hugged her legs as she sat. The little girl looked to be trying to hide behind Hinata's long skirt. She quickly turned her head away once she noticed Sakura approaching with Sasuke at her side.

"Sakura!" Hinata smiled while resting her hand on the little girl's head who was still hugging her legs. "It's good to see you up and around again. I've missed you."

Sakura giggled as the baby Hinata was holding poked her in the cheek with its small finger. "I missed you too but it seems you've had company while I was . . . gone."

"Hai, I have nursery duty today." She made a sweeping gesture with her hand. "There aren't many but there's enough to keep my busy."

"Nursery duty?" Sakura's eyes swept the room full of toys and blankets. There were six children all of various ages.

"Hai, their children of the crew members. Most of them were born on board. Every day a different crew member is put in charge of watching them. It's something people volunteer for." A smile made its way onto her face, "I was filling in for Ino one day and I grew quite attached. I've been volunteering from that day on. There are so many people though that you only end up being here once a month."

"And today is your day." Sakura commented laughing a little as the baby in Hinata's arms reached for her. She took the little boy in her arms and cradled him, "He's so cute! What's his name?"

"That's Hiro."

Sasuke, who had been silent the entire time, stared at Sakura as she cooed at the child in her arms. A smile tugged at his lips. She seemed to a natural at the whole thing. He allowed his mind to wander, picturing her playing with their own children at his home that he had left and was now considering going back to. His mother _had_ been bugging him and Itachi about giving her grandchildren . . .

'_It wouldn't be a bad thing to have little Uchiha's running around.'_

'_Hn. Now's not the time though. Not while we're still on this ship.'_

"You wanna hold him Sasuke kun?" Sakura held the baby out to him, a huge smile on her face.

". . . No thanks." Sasuke watched her pout and then his eyes widened as she settled the child in his arms anyway.

His frame went rigid and she laughed, "Relax, your not going to break him." And he did relax as he stared down at the little face that was looking at him with wide, excited eyes. He almost looked comfortable holding something so small and fragile for a moment. She watched as the little boy took a good chunk of Sasuke's bangs in his tiny fist and tugged, hard.

Sasuke winced in slight pain and released his hair from the baby's grip, Hiro giggling all the while. Sasuke rose a brow as the child reached for his hair again, "I don't think so." He moved Hiro so he was being held half an arms length away from him. The baby wiggled trying to get closer to Sasuke again but still couldn't reach. "That's better."

Sakura and Hinata had collapsed into quiet giggles themselves watching the entire exchange.

"Hn. Here Hinata, you can take it back now." Sasuke gave Hiro back to her and grabbed Sakura's hand again. "We still have to see Kaori."

"Oh . . . Ohhh." Hinata threw Sakura an I-know-something-you-don't smile. "Have fun." Her comment was directed to Sasuke with a sideways glance towards Sakura. She had forgotten to laugh at the fact that Sasuke had called the child an 'it'.

"Hn." Sasuke couldn't stop a small smirk from making its way onto his face.

"Bye Hinata Chan." Sakura gave her friend a confused look before allowing Sasuke to drag her away. She took one last glance at the room full of children and sighed softly to herself as the door was shut behind her. "I want one . . ."

"You do?" Sakura jumped slightly as Sasuke's arms wrapped around her waist from behind, his lips brushing over her neck as he spoke. She hadn't meant for him to hear her.

"Y-yeah." She leaned back into him and if she could she would have blushed. She had always wanted a big family. She'd been looking forward to eventually being a mother.

"Hmm."

"I mean . . . in a little while. You know, once we've found what we're looking for and everything . . ." She trailed off realizing that she had just basically told Sasuke that she wanted to have his children.

"How many?" He asked, smirking against the skin of her neck.

"I-I . . . I don't know. Why?" She decided to turn the tables and ask him the questions.

"Because I was thinking six or seven." He laughed when he felt her tense against him.

"S-seven?" Her eyes widened. Well she _had_ said she wanted a big family . . . seven could defiantly be considered big. "Wait Sasuke kun, how come I've never . . . because we've . . . could I be . . .?" All the talk about children made her realize something. She and Sasuke had been together numerous times and she hadn't gotten pregnant yet. Could she be pregnant now? Her hand went down to rest on her still flat stomach. What if she was barren? What if that was why she'd never gotten pregnant? Would Sasuke still want her?

"No, you're not pregnant Sakura. It's impossible for a human and vampire to create a child. The human would have to be changed into a 'Made Vampire' for them to reproduce." He explained, trying to ease her worries.

"So, that means now if we were to . . . I could get pregnant?"

"Yes, you could." He confirmed, pulling her closer. "And that's why we have to go see my cousin."

* * *

She didn't know how she had gotten herself into this situation. She wasn't sure who had initiated it. She told herself that it _couldn't_ have been her. It couldn't have been because he was annoying, arrogant, infuriating, a total _asshole_ so there was _no way_ that she would have kissed him intentionally. There was _no way_ that she had started it. But why wasn't she stopping it then? His lips were still pressed to hers and she wasn't stopping it. She had actually moved _closer_ to him, her hands fisting in his shirt.

She felt his hands upon her body, one on her waist holding her to him lightly, the other on her cheek angling her face to kiss her deeper. And she let him. His tongue had invaded her mouth and to her surprise she had turned the tables and invaded his. And he let her.

'_What am I doing?! I'm supposed to be mad at him! I want to be mad at him! I _am_ mad at him!' _

His very presence seemed to ooze a certain calm comfort. It filled the entire room and was taking her over as well.

'_Then why don't I _feel_ mad anymore?' _

She moaned softly.

'_No!'_

Her eyes widened and she froze. He stopped as well, realizing what he himself had been doing. He hadn't meant for it to happen like that. It was supposed to be quick, he just wanted to shut her up but that's not how it worked. He hadn't expected her to return it, to move closer. He hadn't expected himself to keep her there, to deepen it. But they had.

She pulled back and released his shirt, embarrassed at herself. Her face turned red with a furious blush. "I . . . that meant nothing."

His lips formed a thin line, "Really?"

'_He sounds . . . disappointed? That's ridiculous. It didn't mean anything to him . . . did it?' _

"Y-yes." She mentally cursed herself for faltering.

'_It meant nothing . . . right? No. It couldn't. It didn't, it didn't, it didn't, it didn't, it didn't!' _

"You don't sound so sure."

Rika looked up at him and frowned, "Well . . . I am."

"Right." His tone was slightly sarcastic in an annoying way.

"You don't believe me?" She growled at him, her anger slowly coming back.

"No. I don't." And then Itachi's lips captured hers once again . . . and she let him.

* * *

Wow, sadly I think this is my longest chapter for this story yet. 

A special thanks to everyone who's been reviewing! 

Well now its time to tell me what you all thought of this chapter so . . . 

R&R please! Isn't the little purple button down there alluring? Go ahead and click it! :) lmao. 

No?. . . well it was a nice try. (shrugs) 


	30. Full Moon

Well another update is here. School started for me last Thursday so I've been really busy as of late which explains the lack of updates, sorry. Between being swamped with homework and trying to spend time with friends my schedule has pretty much been totally zapped. 

**Neko Grafic: **Her names Rika lol. I'm not sure if vampires get "Married" . . . Hmm let me know how your research goes lol.

**Muzik Maniac: **Thanks, I'm glad you like the couple :) I was worried that people would flame me when I decided to write it lol.

**amba: **Here's your update. Now there's no need to throw french toast at me! Lol, It was funny though.

**XxBlackRose02xX: **I have a tendency to go through books rather quickly myself. Heh heh. I really liked what I've read so far, the whole pregnancy thing shocked me though, didn't see that one coming.

**Cb623: **Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. I appreciate you taking the time to review :)

**gianna loves SasuSaku: **Haha I figured I probably confused some people with bringing him back so quickly lol. I don't want to say too much about his involvement in this story or the sequel because I don't want to end up giving everybody spoilers and ruining the surprise. Sorry.

**cherrysakura12345: **Rika is currently a human :)

**luna estrlla: **Wow, Thank you :)

* * *

Sakura walked out of Kaori and Kakashi's personal quarters, replaying the past few minutes in her mind. She had been confused as to why Sasuke had said she needed to see his cousin, especially after their conversation about her getting pregnant but now she understood. The Uchiha woman had shown her a special kind of plant which was used by female vampires as a sort of contraceptive. She had shown her how to prepare it, the finishing product being a sort of drink. However, Sakura had a feeling that there was something that her swordsmanship teacher wasn't telling her. Kaori had insisted that she drink some before she left and throughout the time she was there she would catch the slightly older woman smirking at her.

'_Maybe it's nothing. I'm probably just imagining things.' _

Her eyes caught sight of Sasuke who was leaning against the wall opposite her. His eyes were closed and the corner of his mouth was turned slightly upward in a hint of a small smile. He didn't seem to notice that she was approaching him, seeming too deep in thought. He had remained outside talking to Naruto while she had her chat with his cousin.

'_I wonder what he's thinking.' _

His eyes opened to look at her when she touched his shoulder. "Where did Naruto go?"

"The Rec. Room, he had some business to take care of with Itachi." Sasuke used his foot to push himself off the wall and grabbed her hand. "How did things go with my cousin?" He let out smirk knowing she would have blushed if she could.

"Fine." She allowed him to guide her down the halls and back to their room. By now the dull ache in her throat had become more painful. She hadn't fed since she was changed. Sasuke had warned her that she should have, that the consequences of not feeding would get slowly more painful since she was a 'newborn'. She still hadn't listened to him and she was currently regretting it. Her eyes moved to stare at his neck, she could smell his blood. It was calling to her, making the now painful ache grow steadily worse, her body's way of telling her what she needed.

Sasuke gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. He could feel her staring at him, he knew what she needed. The trick was to get her to let him give it to her. He was slightly surprised that she had refused to feed at first. He knew she didn't find the act repulsing, which was the main problem for 'Made Vampires', because she had no problems when he fed from her. She had encouraged him to the first time. He was even more surprised that she had been able to hold out so long but he knew she wouldn't last much longer. She had to be in pain.

Sakura followed him to their bed and took a seat beside him. Her eyes were still focused on his neck, "Sasuke Kun, I need . . ."

"I know." He replied, his hand reaching forward to brush some of her hair way from her eyes.

She watched him intently as he removed his shirt and pulled her into his lap, wrapping an arm around her waist while the other rose to the base of his throat. His fingernail ran a line across it making a small cut. The smell of his blood as it started to pour from the small incision woke something inside her, a primal instinct. Slowly she leaned forward and his hand that had made the cut went to support the back of her head, holding her to him. She knew that he could tell she was still nervous despite her growing need and he was trying to make things easier for her. His blood made its way past her lips and she almost shuddered. She hadn't expected it to be like this, to be this _good_. The warm, coppery tasting liquid was addicting.

She pressed closer to him, her arms wrapping around his neck. A small voice inside her head told her to stop, that she'd had enough but she couldn't pull away. She felt Sasuke's grip on her waist tighten as she moaned against him. He called her name but she ignored him, her small fangs sinking into him causing even more of his blood to be released. She heard him groan softly and she wondered if it felt as good to him as it did when he drank from her. He called her name again, this time his voice was slightly anxious. The voice in her head spoke up again, demanding that she stop. She didn't want to stop but the small voice was growing louder and she finally obeyed it.

Pulling back Sakura took in the sight of Sasuke and let out a horrified gasp. He was even paler than normal and looked disoriented. "Sasuke kun!" Her hands moved from around his neck to his face, "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to . . ."

"It's okay Sakura, I'm fine." He leaned down resting his forehead on her shoulder.

"No you're not fine!" Her voice was filled with despair. She knew she should have stopped. What if she seriously hurt him next time? No, there would be no next time. "I'm never doing that again."

"Don't be stupid Sakura. You're a vampire, you need to feed. You can try to resist but eventually you'll go crazy and give in. You could end up attacking and killing an innocent human and trust me, you don't want that on your conscious for the rest of eternity." He leaned back to look into her eyes, "It's always the hardest the first time. It'll get easier from now on."

Her tormented gaze avoided his own, "What if it doesn't?"

"It will." His hand turned her face to look at him, "I promise."

* * *

Rika shifted her weight nervously as the vampires next to her greeted each other. Apparently Itachi had some sort of business to attend to and since he wasn't aloud to leave her, she had to come with him. Her grey eyes took in the sight of countless other vampires around them playing cards, reading, and throwing kunai at a target on the wall. She didn't know what she expected to find when she walked into the 'Rec. Room' of a vampire ship but it certainly wasn't this. They all looked so human, just sitting around doing mundane things that anybody else would do, the only difference being their gracefulness and stunning good looks.

A hand pressed on the small of her back and her gaze snapped back to Itachi who had pulled out a seat for her. Blushing slightly, she sat down and avoided eye contact with him. She felt awkward being around him now, she actually preferred when she only felt annoyed by his presence. When she had gotten out of her room and that, admittedly hot, make-out session with an equally hot vampire her mind had cleared and things quickly got awkward for her. She realized she knew nothing about him besides that he was 1) a vampire, 2) good looking and 3) seemed to enjoy annoying her. Her mind told her that those things weren't enough for her to just go off and kiss him but being with him like that had felt right and that scared her.

". . . I don't have it."

Rika's mind clued her in that there was a conversation going on around her and she shook herself from her thoughts to listen.

"You know what that means right?" Her gaze turned towards the very vampire that she was trying to avoid looking at. His tone was teasing but had a mock firmness to it.

"Come on Itachi! Just a little more time!"

"You're the one who asked me for help Naruto and _you_ were the one who set the conditions if you weren't able to pay me back in the time limit that, yet again, _you_ set." She could see the amused grin make its way on his face.

"But . . .!"

"No 'buts' Naruto, maybe this will teach you not to gamble all your money away while inebriated and have somebody pay your debts for you." His tone was reprimanding but the amused grin was still in place.

"Fine . . . what do you want me to do?" The blonde's expression turned exasperated and weary, dreading what the man next to her would say.

"We'll start tomorrow. That way I have all night to think of something good." His grin turned into a small chuckle at the other man's look of despair.

"Being a teme must run in your family."

"Just like being an idiot runs in yours."

"Smart ass."

"Better that than a dumb ass."

"Whatever, I've got to go. Hinata chan's waiting." The blonde gave one last glare to the Uchiha before rising from the table and making his way towards the door, "Oh by the way, you should probably take the human back to her room now. I don't think it's safe for her to be out here tonight." Naruto's eyes shifted over to a vampire who Rika now noticed was staring at her. Apparently Itachi took notice as well and, after sending a glare in said vampire's direction, gave Naruto a nod.

* * *

Sakura sighed contently as she ran her fingers over Sasuke's chest drawing random designs on his skin. The topic of feeding was dropped for the time being and she was just enjoying spending some time with him. His left arm was wrapped securely around her waist, holding her close. Guilt still filled her, making her cringe when her mind would bring up the image of his earlier disoriented state. Sasuke seemed to pick up on her thoughts somehow and always gave her a reassuring squeeze to comfort her.

"Sakura," A finger under her chin tilted her face up to look at him. "I want to talk to you about something." His gaze shifted momentarily over to the window by his bed where the moonlight was shining through and then moved back to her face.

"Sure, what is it?" For some reason she felt nervous. His expression was the most sincere look she'd ever seen from him. She knew that whatever he was going to say, it was important. It made her excited and uneasy at the same time.

"You know how I feel about you," He was speaking softly, even for her vampire hearing.

'_Oh great, here it comes. He's going to break up with me. The next word will be 'but' followed by an explanation that I won't understand. I should have known something like this wouldn't last forever.' _

"Yes." Her eyes were slightly sad and doubts started to plague his mind. Why was she sad? Did she not feel the same anymore?

'_Just keep going.' _

"Did Hinata ever tell you the significance of a full moon for vampires when you stayed with her?" His voice was slowly starting to sound more confidant as he got to his point.

Sakura thought back to the miscellaneous conversations she and Hinata had and tried to remember anything about a full moon. "I think she said that on full moons vampires are able to take a mate . . . right?"

"Right." He stared at her waiting for her to make the connection, hoping he wouldn't have to explain more. He never was one for words, especially when it involved expressing his emotions.

"Oh!" Her emerald eyes widened and her expression turned into one of utter surprise. "Sasuke are you . . .?"

"Hn." His eyes drifted away from her as they often did when he was unsure of himself or embarrassed.

A smile made its way onto her face and she launched herself fully on top of him so she was straddling his waist, her face buried in the crook of his neck. She felt the vibrations from his slight chuckle at her actions, "Can I take that as a yes?" Her answer was a furious nodding of her head because she didn't trust her voice at the moment. She felt like squealing and giggling madly like some love-struck little girl.

Both his arms wrapped possessively around her waist as he waited for her to look at him again, which she did after a few minutes of calming down. "Sasuke? Being your 'mate' is the equivalent of being your wife, right?"

"Sort of." His fingers weaved through her silky hair, admiring it.

"Sort of?" Her face fell.

"Wife is a human term and human bonds are too easily broken. Once a man's wife dies he can take another, if a man is unsatisfied with his wife he can leave her, vampires don't work that way. Being my mate is forever. Neither one of us will ever be with anyone else besides each other for the rest of out existence." He watched her face carefully as she absorbed the new information. She seemed almost in awe. "Often times when a vampire's mate dies for some reason, the vampire takes his or her own life as well rather than spend the rest of eternity alone."

"Wow," Her awed expression stayed in place, "and you really want _me_ for all eternity?"

"Yes." He brought her face down to his and kissed her softly. Her hands slipped into his hair running through it.

She pulled away to look into his dark eyes that she loved, "So how do we . . .?"

A smirk formed on his lips, "So Hinata didn't explain it all huh?" His hands moved down to her thighs to the hem of her nightgown that she had changed into earlier, "Let me show you then."

A pleasurable shudder ran through her as he pulled her gown up and off of her, leaving her totally bare to his observing eyes. His hands stroked up and down her thighs, then slid up to her waist as he flipped her underneath him. He placed feather light kisses from her neck down to the valley between her breasts. Her hands reached down to undo his pants and start sliding them from his lean hips. A soft groan escaped his lips when her fingers brushed over him. Tonight he was finally going to take her has officially his, forever.

Sakura let out a loud moan and arched her chest into his touch as Sasuke teased her right breast with his mouth and the other with his hand. She had managed to remove his pants with a little help from him and was grateful that he had neglected to put his shirt back on from earlier. He looked absolutely perfect in the moonlight that shined in their room. She was still trying to comprehend that this extremely handsome vampire was hers.

She could feel the hard length of him against her thigh and she opened for him, wrapping her legs securely around his waist. She felt him just outside her entrance and she had the overpowering urge to move her hips forward and take him inside of her but she resisted, it was torture. His mouth left her breast, which earned him a disapproving sound from her, and moved to kiss her lips lightly. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes!" Her fingers fisted in his dark hair, "Please Sasuke kun?"

He kissed her once more before slowly sliding himself into her, making her moan his name loudly in his ear. Her moist heat gripped him tightly as he pulled out and pushed back in creating a steady rhythm. The whimpers, moans, and screams he excited from her drove him mad. He groaned when her legs tightened around his waist, pulling him even deeper inside of her. She felt incredible around him. His pace grew faster and more frantic, desperate to reach release.

She could feel the pleasure building up inside her. She was so close, just a little longer and she'd be thrown over the edge. The blood flowing through the vein in his neck called to her. Her gums started to feel tingly and she felt her small fangs slightly elongate. "Do it Sakura." Sasuke panted into her ear. "You have to." She nestled her face into the crook of his neck and let her fangs scrape across his skin causing her lover to shudder. Her teeth pricked his skin and she heard him moan out her name and he seemed to swell even larger inside her.

She removed her fangs after a few seconds and heard him gasp softly. Her release had been so close and when he had swelled inside her it sent her over the edge, screaming out his name. Her body shuddered and her toes curled with the force of her orgasm. She barely noticed the prick of Sasuke's fangs on her neck except that it seemed to draw her pleasure out even longer.

Coming down from her high she felt Sasuke licking the excess blood from her neck before pulling out of her and adjusting himself by her side. She felt empty now without his touch and scooted closer to him. His arms clutched her to him possessively. "I love you Uchiha Sasuke."

". . . and I you, Uchiha Sakura."

* * *

Wow, this is chapter 30. o.0 

I apologize because the lemon in this chapter was probably horrible and since I'm writing this at 12:45 a.m. it probably had a bunch of grammatical errors that I didn't catch when going over it again. 

R&R PLEASE!! 


	31. What Just Happened?

Another update because I finally was finally able to steal some time. 

**r i a n e xx-: **I'm not quite sure exactly how many more chapter's are left before the end but the story is almost over. 

**gianna loves SasuSaku: **This chapter should answer you question lol. 

**Lioness Of the fire: **Sorry to have kept you waiting lol.

**taiyauchiha21: **Eventually lol. 

**randigirl: **Thanks :), If you find anymore words like that let me know so I can go back and fix them. I'm a horrible speller so 'spell check' does wonders for me lol. So a lot of instances like that will probably happen because I'm not really paying attention to which meaning the word actually has so I'll try and look out for that. 

**Romance is Me: **Oops, I did. o.0 Yup, their the vampire term of 'married' lol. 

**C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only: **lmao thank you. I certainly feel much better about it now lol. 

* * *

Sakura hummed softly to herself while she tidied up her and Sasuke's room. She had woken fairly late in the afternoon feeling the best she'd felt in a long time. Sasuke had held her for a while after he realized she was awake, just playing absentmindedly with her hair before they both ventured out of bed to get dressed for the day. That's when she realized how much their room was in need of a quick cleaning. Now as she moved about picking up random articles of clothing that were strewn across the floor she missed the warmth and comfort his embrace now provided. He had left after dressing and she had been so wrapped up in the euphoric state that she woke in so she didn't quite hear him when he told her where exactly he was going. She wished she would have listened.

She took a glance around the room and sighed. The place needed a good dusting. She grabbed one of her shirts that Sasuke had ruined (he had torn the clothing in two to get it off her once) and used it as a makeshift dust rag. The desk was the place that needed the most attention since nobody had used it for quite some time. After she was done there, she moved onto any other surface she could find. Eventually she noticed that she was dancing while working and her soft humming had turned into singing. She hadn't sung since her mother died, she couldn't remember the last time she had danced either. It felt good, so she sang louder.

'_Hmm . . . I've never seen Sasuke clean.' _It was a totally random thought, she wasn't even sure why it popped into her head but it made her pause for a moment. _'But his room was always so neat, even before I started doing it.' _An image of Sasuke swinging a dust rag around while singing and dancing just as she was at the moment entered her head. _'Ha-ha!' _She tried to maintain her laughter but couldn't hold it in. The picture was just too hilarious and out of character for him. _'Now that's something I'd like to see.' _

"Sorry, but I _don't_ sing."

"Wha?!" Sakura whipped around to see Sasuke leaning against the wall behind her. "When did you get there? How did you . . .? You read my thoughts!" Her eyes widened in embarrassment.

"Hello to you too." He smirked at her while she stayed frozen in place.

"How?" Her mouth was still hanging slightly open.

He walked towards her, wrapping his right arm around her waist as his left hand grabbed a hold of her hand that was clutching the rag making her drop it. "I'm not sure. I noticed I could read your thoughts today while you were sleeping so I figured it had something to do with last night." His smirk grew wider, "I never knew you had such _interesting _dreams."

"Eh!" If she was human she would have been blushing from head to toe. "That . . . I . . . Shut up!" She buried her face into his chest to avoid that cocky look of his that she _knew _he was giving her. She expected him to keep teasing her unmercifully until he _found_ a way to make a vampire blush but instead he did something totally unexpected. He laughed, _hard_. She had never heard him actually laugh before. It made her pull back to look at him in amazement. He looked so carefree, so happy. It made her beam with joy to know that _she_ was able to make him look like that. Her annoyance that it was also _her_ that he was laughing _at_ was forgotten.

When he finally stopped a small smile stayed on his face. He couldn't believe he had done that. He _never_ laughed anymore. He hadn't for years, since he was still a kid. His 'wife' was truly an amazing person.

"You should do that more often." Her voice was soft and loving just like her expression. She already missed the rich wonderful sound.

"Hn." He gave her a half smile, his eyes directed towards the inside of her wrist where he was running his thumb over it.

Sakura moved her gaze there as well and saw something she hadn't noticed before. There was a small symbol of a fan on the inner wrist of her right arm. It was outlined in black and the top of the fan was colored red. It almost looked like a tattoo. She had seen the symbol before on the back of some of Sasuke's shirts but she had never asked what it was. "Sasuke kun?"

"That's the Uchiha clan symbol." His thumb was still running over it. "This is what we vampires call a Mate Mark. When a male pure blood vampire takes a mate his family symbol appears on her inner wrist. It's sort of like what a wedding ring is to a human."

"Ohhh." Her smile widened as she continued to look at the little fan. It made everything seem much more real. _'Uchiha Sakura. I love it.' _

"Hn, me too."

Sakura smiled but mentally sighed, _'This whole mind reading thing is going to take a while to get used to.' _

"I don't know, it's been pretty good for me." Sasuke threw her a smirk.

"I bet." She mumbled back to him, crossing her arms.

His arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her against him, his hands caressing her back as he hugged her. He leaned down and kissed her softly before resting his forehead against hers. "Let's stay in here today."

"Sasuke kun?" She was slightly confused at his sudden display of affection. His hands drifted lower and she laughed lightly, "You mean let's stay in bed today."

"That works too." She could feel him smirk against the skin on her neck while he kissed her there.

"No it doesn't." Her words came out on a slight moan as his lips and hands continued their roaming.

"What?" He pulled back and gave her incredulous look.

"I said, no it doesn't." Her voice was steady now that he had pulled away.

'_What does she mean "No it doesn't"? _She's_ turning _me_ down?' _

"I asked Kaori yesterday when I went to see her if we could start my training again today." A smile spread over her face at his disbelieving expression, "I need to get better if I'm going to be of any help around here."

"You can already be of help right here." He pulled her close again, willing her to stay.

"I could," She ran her fangs lightly over his neck and smirked when he shuddered then moved to stand on her tip-toes so she could whisper in his ear, "_but_ I have somewhere to be." She maneuvered her way out of his hold, him being too shocked to stop her, and walked to the door, swaying her hips as she went. "Maybe later Sasuke _kun_."

Sasuke stared dumbly after his mate as she walked out the door. _'What just happened?' _

* * *

A large mob of vampires crowded the deck of the _Crimson Flood_. It seemed as if almost the entire crew had shown up to witness the spectacle being made of one of their peers. Laughter filled the air along with mocking cat calls and whistles. Vampires were pushing each other out of the way so they could each get a good look at the poor victim. At the very front of the crowd stood Itachi and his assigned charge Rika, both wearing amused smiles staring at the man mopping before them.

"I think you missed a spot." The oldest Uchiha commented, his tone clearly mocking.

Naruto hiked up the sleeves of his new mate, Hinata's, light purple kimono that he was currently wearing giving a glare that could make an entire army of half demons shake in their boots. "Fuck you Itachi." The blonde's spiky hair was held down with jeweled clips and his face painted with thick layers of makeup.

"Hey Naruto Chan!" A female vampire called from the crowd, "Mopping might be easier if you hike up your skirt a little!"

Laughter erupted from the crowed again followed by chants of, "Yeah! Show us some leg!"

'_I am NEVER borrowing money from Itachi again! Fucking bastard!' _

"Forget it! I quit!" Naruto threw down the mop while stomping his foot and crossing his arms in a childish manner.

"You can't quit dobe." Itachi smirked at the blonde, borrowing his brother's nickname for the half demon. "Remember the condition you set? You have to do anything I say until you get the money back to me."

"I fucking hate you man!" Naruto picked up the mop again and resumed his work while cursing the Uchiha under his breath.

"Think of it this way Naruto, your helping out the entire crew. Everyone has been so stressed lately, they need a little entertainment!" Itachi chuckled, "Speaking of entertainment maybe you should perform at our gathering tonight." Kakashi had noticed the crew's low spirits and stressed out aura's and decided to give everyone a sort of 'R&R day'. One of the crew members had came up with the idea of a sort of party.

"Hell no!"

"Oh come on Naru Chan! You should dance for us!" The same female called out again, "I'm sure we'd all enjoy it!"

"I _hate _you all!"

"But we _looooove _you Naruto Chan!"

Itachi smirked feeling satisfied with his amusement for now, "Keep mopping, I'll be back later."

"What? Where the hell are you going?!"

"The kitchen, its lunch time for the human." The dark haired vampire called over his shoulder as he walked away, Rika following behind.

"I _have_ a name you know." She growled out at him, picking up speed to keep up with his fast pace.

He suddenly stopped walking making her run into his back. She rubbed her nose that had collided with his shoulder blade and he turned towards her. He was bent down so his face was inches away from hers causing her to blush pink, "My apologies, Ri-ka _Chan_." Her blush multiplied tenfold and he smirked. He was so close she could feel his cool breath on her lips.

"Y-yeah." She leaned forward slightly, staring at his mouth.

Itachi smirked, "Well," His lips brushed lightly against hers as he talked and she closed her eyes, anticipating a kiss, " . . . we should get going."

"Wha?" Her eyes opened to see his back as he resumed walking.

'_Damn him!' _

* * *

"Very nice Sakura!" Kaori praised her newest pupil. The pink haired vampire had progressed greatly in the past two hours and Kaori found that she was quite proud of her cousin's new mate. It hadn't surprised her when she saw the Uchiha fan on her inner wrist. She remembered smiling to herself thinking that she finally had another female Uchiha on board and Sakura, in Kaori's own opinion, despite not being born into the family was already showing the skill that most Uchiha's had with their weapon of choice, swords.

"Thanks!" Sakura beamed at her own achievement. She had even managed to knick the slightly older woman a few times. That alone was a great accomplishment in itself.

"I think we can adjourn for the day. What do you say we meet again tomorrow? Same time?" Kaori sheathed her twin blades and smiled, already eager for the next day's lesson. She was truly enjoying spending time with Sakura. She had a great personality and showed lot's of promise with her abilities. She hadn't had a student with such promise since Rin. "Plus I think we've made my cousin wait long enough, ne?"

Sakura took a glance to the left where Sasuke was leaning against the ships railing watching her intently. He had been there since she started training, his eyes trailing her every single movement. She was surprised she had been able to concentrate with his dark gaze transfixed on her the entire time. "I think he can wait a bit longer." She laughed when she saw the look on his face turn to one of frustration, knowing he had heard her.

"Ha! I like how you think." Kaori smirked at her cousin, "Somebody's got to keep him in line."

Sakura giggled and walked closer to her teacher so they could talk without being heard by her irritated 'husband'. "I don't know what's going on with him today. He usually isn't like this."

"Well Sasuke's always been a weird one," Kaori smirked, "you never know what's going on with him."

* * *

"Apples?"

"Yuck."

"Pineapple?"

"Gross."

"Carrots?"

"Ew."

"You're impossible." Itachi sighed, closing the cupboards of the ship's kitchen, "So picky."

"I'm not picky. I just know what I want." Rika stated, jumping off the counter she was sitting on to rifle through the cupboards herself. "Why do you guys have actual food here anyway?"

Itachi took a seat on the counter where she had been and watched her move about the room. "We sometimes would have humans on board, hostages mostly, and therefore we keep ourselves stocked up on food. Plus it helps us keep up our human guises as well."

"I see." Rika reached up to grab a plate off of a top self and set it beside her where she had also set some cheese she had found. "Do you guys have any bread?"

"Yeah, over there." Itachi gestured to a cupboard to her left. "It should be on the bottom shelf."

"That's a weird place to put it."

"Hn." Itachi watched as she bent over, his gaze fixated on her bottom. He smirked. Now he knew why the guys had insisted that they keep it there.

"Enjoying the view?" Rika turned to him and raised a brow.

"It's okay." He smirked.

Her face turned into a scowl. _'Okay?! Humph fine. Guess he won't mind if he never sees it again then!' _

Itachi inwardly chuckled when he heard her mumble something that sounded like "Ungrateful perverted vampire."

* * *

Woo! Chapter 31! 

Questions, Comments, Suggestions, Ideas? 

Review Please!


	32. Dance With Me?

Well. . . I'm back! I hope you all don't hate me too much for disappearing for a while. School keeps me busy but since I'm at home sick right now, wrapped up like a burrito in a giant blanket with my friend Mr. Tissue box, I have time to write!

**x0x-hayleybayley-x0x: **Yes, Sasuke can read her thoughts now but no, she can't read his. Mind reading is Sasuke's unique ability. 

**XxBlackRose02xX: **I know, time seems to be slipping away from me. School's going well for me. Still have my 4.0 (I'm a nerd lol). 

**Strawberry Lulz: **More crew members will be making appearances pretty soon and as for Neji, he's going to be in the sequel. 

**cherrysakura12345: **Thanks, they do lol. I guess it just comes down to who's going to step up and make a move lol. 

**taiyauchiha21: **Eventually, they're still in denial. Lol. 

**poket: **I also enjoy stories where their close with each other because the whole Itachi-steals-Sakura-from-Sasuke bit gets used a lot (and I read ItaSaku occasionally as well, mostly only if its an AU though.) 

**NOTE: **_I've decided, thanks to a lot of people saying that they like Rika and Itachi as a couple and due to quite a few requests, that I would make a one or two-shot focusing on just that pairing that would go along with the ATWADJ series. I don't know when exactly but I promise to do one. It'll probably take place after ATWADJ but before the sequel._

* * *

Sasuke leaned back against the decks railing, his dark eyes following the form of his mate as she walked away with his cousin. He knew she was taunting him on purpose, adding that extra little sway to her hips just for him to see. He could feel his fingers twitch, itching to throw her over his shoulder and take her back to their room so he could have his way with her. Normally he had more control over himself than he was exhibiting at the moment but since the night before, it seemed like he couldn't keep his hands off her. He growled when she turned around and flashed him an innocent smile before she went off deck.

She had came up to him and told him that she was going to go with Kaori and a few other girls to find something to wear for the festivities later on tonight. She hadn't even given him time to reply before she left him with just a chaste kiss. His frustration grew when his mind told him he couldn't even go after her because of the man now standing beside him who required his attention. "Hm. . . Never thought you'd take a wife Sasuke Kun. I wonder how your harem is going to take this."

"Shut it Sai." Nope, this definitely was _not _helping his mood right about now.

"I suppose I could take Keiko off your hands for you." Sai gave a small smirk, "No use letting a good thing go to waste, ne?"

"When did you get here?"

"I got here early this morning. I had to have a talk with Kakashi san before I went to find you." Sai folded his arms across his chest, "You don't seem too happy to see me." His expression turned into a small fake smile.

"What do you want Sai?" Sasuke glared at the younger man. He never understood how Sai could be Kaori's brother and what was even _more _confusing and irritating was that people often mistook _him_ for Sai and vise versa. _'Tch. We look _nothing_ alike. Annoying idiots comparing me to this moron.'_

"Just wanted to visit. You know, see how my favorite family members are."

"Cut the bull shit Sai." Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Dad sent you to spy on Itachi, Kaori and I didn't he?"

"Spying is such a harsh word Sasuke kun. He merely wanted me to check up on you guys." Sai gave a shrug, "He only has your best interest at heart."

"Tch."

"Don't worry, I'm not staying long." The younger Uchiha stated. "But, before I go, I'd rather like to say hello to Dickless."

* * *

Sakura stared at the piles of silk kimonos that the room was filled with, each pile organized by color. There were gold, peach, black, all shades of green, blue, red, yellow, purple, pink, and orange. All of them were beautiful and looked to be extremely costly. She guessed there had to be at least sixty of them. Hinata, Kaori, and Ino had put their collections together for them all to choose from. Ino had the most kimonos out of them all, which honestly didn't surprise her.

Hair clips, necklaces, bracelets and other jewelry were laid out next to jars of eye and lip makeup on the desk. Hinata had invited a human girl, Rika, to join them. The girl had been escorted to the room by Itachi, who had flashed her a smile and pushed the small girl into the room. The girl was currently being chatted up by Ino, who was going into full gossip mode. The scene seemed surreal to Sakura. She hadn't had many close girl friends at her village and they certainly never had the money or the need for these kinds of clothes. It was nice, she decided.

"Hinata where's that dark purple kimono of yours?" Ino took a break from chatting with Rika to question the dark haired woman.

"Naruto Kun has it." Hinata replied holding up one of the peach kimonos.

"You let him mop in _that_ one?!" Ino cried, "I wanted to wear that one." A pout settled on her face.

"I don't know Ino. I think it looked rather nice on him." Kaori giggled.

"It would have looked better on me." Ino muttered.

"Sorry Ino Chan." Hinata moved over to another pile, "Why don't you try on this blue one instead? I bet it'd look lovely on you." Hinata, always playing the peace maker.

Ino's eyes sparkled, "Oh Hinata it's gorgeous!"

"I bet it'd fit you perfectly." She handed Ino the dress.

"Ne, It's Shikamaru's favorite color too." Kaori commented from the side, her tone teasing.

"Psh, that doesn't matter." Ino waved her hand in a dismissive motion but failed to hide the small smile she wore.

"Mmhm sure Ino." Kaori picked up a black kimono with crimson designs.

The blonde stuck her tongue out at the master swordswoman. "Whatever, you know what I want to know?"

"Not really, but I know your going to tell us anyway." Kaori smirked. Sakura thought she looked so much like her male cousins when she did that. What was it with Uchiha's and their smirks?

"Right you are!" Ino smiled, "I've been wondering what's going on with Rika and Itachi San."

"W-what?"

It was the first time Sakura had heard the girl speak. Her grey eyes were wide and a small blush was settling on her cheeks.

Ino rolled her eyes, "You, Itachi San, What's going on?"

"He was put in charge of me. Nothings going on." Rika averted her eyes to a random pile of kimonos.

"Do you _want_ something to be going on?" The blonde questioned, smirking slightly.

"N-no!"

"Why not? Itachi San's a _very_ good looking man. Now that Sasuke San is taken, he's the most wanted guy on the ship." Ino flipped her pony tail behind her, "Heck, _I'd_ like to tap that."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." Kaori muttered and Sakura patted her on the back.

"He's arrogant, annoying-"

"Irritating?" Kaori supplied.

"Yes!"

"Sexy?" Ino called out.

"Yea- no!"

"Got ya!" She cheered. This was major gossip material; she was going to have a field day. "Well I've heard he's interested, which is totally a good thing since you like him."

"No I don't!"

"You know, I hear the Uchiha men are extremely talented, if you know what I mean, eh Sakura?"

One good thing about being a vampire, no blushing, which Sakura was eternally grateful for right about now. "Um. . ." _'Leave it to Ino to revert the conversation to sex.' _

"Leave the poor girls alone Ino." Kaori put her arm around Sakura's shoulders.

"Yeah yeah."

"Sakura Chan?" Hinata spoke up, trying to change the subject, "I think this one would look very nice on you."

Sakura looked at the Kimono that her friend was holding out to her. It was the kind of dress she never thought she'd get to wear. It was obviously expensive and the detail was stunning. She ran her fingers over the fabric lightly. "It's wonderful."

Kaori smiled seeing the awed look on Sakura's face. "Get used to it girl. You're a member of the Uchiha Clan now. Soon you'll have more of these than you'll want."

"You can _never_ have too many kimonos." Ino objected and then broke out into a smile, "Now, who's going to let me do their makeup?"

* * *

Kakashi stared at the man in front of him, "So you don't mind?"

Itachi asked raising a brow at his captain. "It doesn't matter anyway does it?"

"Not really. I was lying about the whole choice thing." The eye that wasn't covered with his bandana lit with amusement. "Sai will only be here for a week or two."

"We hope."

"The sleeping arrangement doesn't bother you that much does it?" It was Kakashi's turn to raise a brow, "Are you going to have a problem controlling yourself?"

"What are you implying Kakashi San?" Itachi's expression was carefully blank, his voice a monotone.

"I've just been hearing things." Kakashi shrugged.

"Ino again?"

"You know how that woman loves to talk."

"Often about things she does not know."

"Touché." The older man smiled, "Speaking of which, the girls should be done soon. I promised Kaori I'd come and get her if she wasn't out in an hour."

Itachi nodded, "I'd better get Rika too. She wasn't too excited about going in the first place."

"Tonight is going to be interesting."

"Hn."

* * *

"Wow, Hinata Chan . . ."

Sakura glanced at her best friend and her husband. Naruto looked almost adorable with the look of awe on his face. Well, as adorable as a half demon-half vampire could look. Hinata did look especially beautiful tonight. Her light purple kimono brought out the violet streaks in her hair, she had avoided Ino's makeup frenzy so was able to go without any. The natural look was good on Hinata though, Sakura got the impression that makeup would do nothing but cover up her beauty.

She watched as Naruto took Hinata's hand and led her away, gushing over her the whole time. She could see how much he loved her, it was in his eyes whenever he looked at his wife.

A strong arm wrapped itself around her waist and she smiled, leaning back into the embrace. She could feel his breath on the shell of her ear. "You look beautiful."

She mentally blushed at his compliment. She'd been wondering what he would think and hoping he'd be pleased. "Hinata let me borrow her Kimono."

"It suits you." He kissed her cheek.

The kimono was black with pink and white cherry blossoms on it. A red Obi kept it together. Her hair was pulled back into a half pony tail with red ribbon. She, unlike Hinata, hadn't been able to escape Ino's rampage so she had light makeup on, fortunately nothing too drastic though. "Thank you."

"I still haven't forgotten about earlier Sakura." Her eyes widened and she shivered at his husky tone. "I'll repay you for it later." He smirked, satisfied with his threat and her reaction to it.

"Mm." Her eyes closed, she let pictures of them making love enter her mind and heard him groan.

"If you don't stop that we're leaving now."

"Then why don't you help me focus on something else?"

He didn't like the tone her voice took on. "Hm?"

Her eyes opened to watch Naruto and Hinata dancing together to the music, holding each other close as they moved. "Dance with me?"

He hated dancing, it was something his mother made him do when they held some sort of formal event. He wanted to say no, he really did but he couldn't. Once she turned around and looked at him with those big, beautiful green eyes he couldn't deny her anything. "Hn."

She beamed when he took her hand and led her further out on the deck, spinning her once before pulling her close to him. The music was soft, a slow rhythm that they swayed to, his hands resting on her waist, hers on his chest. Her head rested in the crook of his neck. "It's going to be over soon isn't it?"

Sasuke looked down at his wife, not quite sure what she meant. All he knew was that her mood had saddened.

"We're going to be leaving Kakashi's crew soon, aren't we?"

He sighed, "We know where we're going now. No, it won't be long."

"Do you still want to be human?"

Her question made him falter momentarily. Being human was what he'd wanted for so long. He hadn't thought much about what he would do once he had it. He'd never fully questioned whether it was still the best path for him, still what he wanted. He'd had doubts lately, the woman in his arms had changed his opinion about most things. She had changed him. He thought about them living their lives as humans, having children, growing old together, watching their children grow old, dying.

He pictured her dying, leaving him alone. He pictured himself dying, leaving her alone. Neither seemed good to him. He couldn't wrap his head around the thought of not having forever with her. "No . . . I don't." Hearing himself say it shocked him. He didn't want to be human.

"Then what are we going to do Sasuke kun?"

Sasuke wrapped his arms around her tighter, "We'll worry about it when it comes." He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, "Put it out of your mind for now, just enjoy tonight while its here."

* * *

Rika sighed, trying to ignore the bickering couple beside her. Itachi had left her alone with Ino, who was currently having a spat with a man introduced as Shikamaru, while he went to have a conversation with his cousin. "Quite being such a lazy ass and dance with me!"

Shikamaru frowned, "I said no you troublesome woman!"

"Fine. Rika and I will go and look for other people to dance with then!"

'_Blonde banshee say what?' _

"Come on!" Ino grabbed the brunettes arm and hauled her off towards a couple vampires who were standing to their left.

'_Dear Kami Sama, why do I get dragged into everything?' _Rika looked over to her personal prison guard_ '. . . . I blame Itachi.'_

* * *

"You might want to go help your charge Itoko." Kaori watched Ino introduce the irritated looking girl to a vampire who escorted her to the "dance floor". "Looks like Rai's gotten his hands on her."

"Hn." Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of Rai. "You going to be okay here by yourself?"

Kaori shrugged, "Despite the sucky entertainment, I think I'll survive."

"Maybe you should get up there and dance then Kaori Chan." Itachi chuckled when she glared at him. "It's been a while since I've seen you dance."

"Yeah? Well you're never going to see it again either." Kaori crossed her arms, "I'd much rather train with my swords."

"I know. I'm surprised you're in a dress."

Kaori lifted her blue and black kimono to her knees so he could see the pants and boots she wore underneath. She smirked. "You should have known better Itoko. Now, go get your woman before she gets molested."

* * *

"Move your hands any lower and I'll detach them from your arms." Rika glared at the vampire holding her. She was two seconds away from kicking him where it counts and running like hell. (The running like hell part being that she would probably get her ass kicked once he got back up).

"May I cut in?" She would know that deep, demanding voice anywhere. He made it an order to move out of the way rather than a question.

'_So he finally shows up.' _

Itachi's hands replaced Rai's around her waist. She had an urge to stomp on his foot for having left her with a banshee and then a pervert. "Took ya long enough."

Itachi rose a brow, "Sorry I kept you waiting."

"Its . . . I didn't mean I _wanted _to dance with you or anything. I just meant that . . . it took you long enough to dismiss that perv."

"So you don't want to dance?"

She wondered when he got so close. The top of her head only came up to his shoulder but her face was tilted upwards to look at him, her chest was flush against his. She hadn't noticed before that she had laced her arms around his neck. He was looking down at her, his voice wasn't teasing like it usually was. It sounded. . . seductive.

"I . . ." A different sort of dance entered her mind, one that involved less clothes and a horizontal position. Her blush flared out of control, "No." Her answer came out as a squeak.

"Then let's go." The hands around her waist turned her around and he began walking.

"Wh-where?" She inwardly cursed herself for stuttering.

The look he gave her made her toes curl.

* * *

_Glossary:_

**Itoko: **Cousin

Ah, what is Itachi up to? (devious smirk) 

Grammar and Spelling probably wasn't good, sorry.

R&R! Please? 

Suggestions, Idea's, Requests, and Misc. Comments always welcome. 


	33. An ExSlayer and a Vampire

And now chapter 33 . . . 

For any RikaItachi fans. . . This chapter is for you :)

**candyluver: **Hmm, I've never read an ItaTema story. I actually wasn't aware the pairing existed lol. Sounds interesting though, do you have any good stories that you would recommend? 

**eMILY: **There will be a lot more ItaRika coming. I have a few new idea's for those two. :) 

**luna starz: **Any ideas you have I'd love to hear :) 

**drkvngence666: **There might be some spoilers in the next chapter but this one is safe. 

**r i a n e xx: **Of course I am, I couldn't leave you guys hanging like that, could I? lol

_NOTE_**: **_**IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE RIKA-ITACHI PAIRING**__, you might want to skip the first part of this chapter. It won't be detrimental to your understanding of the story so feel free to ignore it. It's merely for the people who do like the pairing. _

* * *

'_Oh God. Don't panic. Just . . . stay . . . calm.' _Rika closed her eyes breathed. She wasn't doing so well on the whole not panicking thing. _Thump, thump, thump._ She could hear her heart racing and she was most certain that _he_ could too. She opened her eyes and looked down to where his hand clasped hers, leading her down the ships halls. His grip wasn't strong like it usually was, if she wanted to she could pull away and run as fast as she could in the opposite direction. She didn't. They had already passed the door to her room a while ago. _'He's just teasing me again. He doesn't really want me. He's just waiting for me to break so he can have his laugh.' _A frown settled on her face. She wouldn't put it past the arrogant vamp, but something told her that thought wasn't quite true. _'If this isn't some sort of joke then. . .' _She bit her lip as a new surge of fresh panic welled inside her. Wasn't this what she wanted? Wasn't this what she thought about when he asked her is she wanted to dance? She blushed when she realized it was.

Itachi tightened his hold on Rika's small, warm hand slightly. He could feel wave after wave of her emotions hitting him: fear, panic, doubt, anticipation, and lust. The last one hit him the strongest. He hadn't intended for things to head in this direction. Earlier when Kakashi gave him the choice of either letting Sai bunk with him or Rika, he hadn't thought letting the human stay with him would prove to be a problem. He was wrong. She was going to be a much bigger problem than Sai would have been. Originally he was just going to tell her she had to stay with him for a while and lock her in his room while he went to train, he didn't need much sleep anyway. Plus it would piss her off and no matter how he tried to deny it, he found her incredibly _sexy_ when she got mad. But when she started blushing and stammering he couldn't help but tease her. He hadn't thought that he would lose control, that he would take things that far. Again, he was wrong.

He stopped when he reached his door and turned to face her. She was lightly biting her bottom lip and she was blushing furiously. His lips twitched into a smirk. She looked too flushed and nervous, nothing like the girl who was always glaring and ranting at him. Although, as sexy as he thought she was when she was angry, he couldn't deny he liked this side of her too. There was that urge to tease her again. It got him in trouble the first time but he couldn't help it. He wondered what she'd do when he pushed her over the edge, when she lost control. His smirk widened, he had to find out.

Rika shifted slightly. She knew he was staring at her but she couldn't bring herself to look up and meet his gaze. Instead her eyes remained trained on his chest. _'And what a nice chest it is. . .' _She could feel her blush deepening. So maybe staring at his chest _wasn't_ the best idea. _'Ugh, why doesn't he just say something?'_

"Are you going to come in or stand there?" His voice was still darkly seductive but the teasing hint was back again. Damn him.

Rika looked up to see that he had opened his door and was looking expectantly at her. She brushed past him into the room. It was dark despite the few candles that were lit on his black painted dresser. The color theme was black and a rich crimson. _'Fitting.' _

Itachi closed the door behind them. He watched as she studied his room. He saw her form stiffen nervously and followed her gaze to his bed. He smirked and moved behind her, bending his head down so his lips brushed her ear, his hands rested on her hips pulling her back against him. "Something wrong?"

"No." The waver in her voice almost made him smile.

"Good." His hands on her hips turned her towards him.

Rika looked up at him. His dark eyes had a certain spark to them and his lips were slightly twisted into a small smirk. _'He's challenging me . . . he doesn't think I'll go through with it. Humph, I'll show him.'_ A flash of determination ran though her petite frame. Rika expression turned into what she hoped was a seductive smile, her hands ran up his strong arms to his neck, her warm fingers tracing defined muscles as they went. Her fingers found the tie that held his hair back and pulled it out. She refused to look up at him yet, she knew just one look from him could make her lose her nerve. She shyly pressed herself against him and slowly looked up to see his reaction. The smirk was gone from his face and replaced with a look that she couldn't quite read but it sent pleasurable shivers of anticipation down her spine.

Itachi ran his cool fingers lightly over her jaw, his other hand keeping her pressed to him. He hadn't expected her little stunt of confidence. She had noticed his challenge and was throwing one back at him, but he'd be damned if he gave in before she did. He'd see how far he could push her before she'd beg for him and eventually lose control. His lips came down on hers slow, soft, and maddening. He heard her moan and her fingers twined in his hair, holding him to her. He almost growled, he'd missed the feeling of her soft, warm lips moving against his.

Eventually he pulled away to let her breathe and he studied her flushed form. Her dazed eyes stared up at him, "Itachi." He watched her tongue poke out and lick her bottom lip. His eyes fixed on the little pink appendage and his hands went down to grab her thighs and wrap them around his waist. She sucked in a breath and shuddered. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she held his gaze as he moved them back towards his bed, laying her on her back, him settling on top of her. His hair fell around them and she ran her fingers through the long black strands.

Itachi stared at the woman underneath himself. She was still clinging to him, the soft curves of her body pressed against him. Her emotions were still hitting him like waves, her want, her lust. _'She'll be the death of me.' _His lips found hers again, his tongue sweeping across her bottom lip before slipping inside her mouth. She moaned and her small frame shifted, her legs left his sides and pressed together. Itachi pulled back and moved his lips to her throat leaving kisses along the way. The smell of her blood called to him but his hunger for her body overwhelmed it.

Itachi moved one hand and slowly started to undo her orange kimono. He felt her stop breathing as his hands glided over her body and gasp when his fingers touched her warm skin.

Rika blushed when he moved the orange fabric completely out of the way leaving her exposed to him. She bit her lip. She'd never let a man see her like this before. The way his dark eyes roamed over every inch of her body made heat pool between her thighs. He remained silent as his fingers ghosted up her sides to her shoulders, pushing the sleeves, her arms moving to help him. After she was fully free of the dress she laid back again, waiting.

Itachi breathed slowly to calm himself. He had wanted this woman for too long and now she was spread out beneath him, submissive, his to take. He claimed her lips again in another kiss. Her hands slid under his shirt, feeling his muscles. _'The clothes . . . the clothes have to go.' _Her fingers grasped the hem of the black fabric and tugged upward. Itachi moved to help her get the offending piece of clothing off and watched her face as she studied him. He wasn't overly muscular but his chest, just like his arms, had obvious definition. "Wow. . ." She wasn't even aware that she had said it aloud, her fingers traced over his abs and down until his pants stopped her from moving any farther.

"Wow, huh?"

Rika looked up at him and blushed. That familiar cocky smirk was on his face, made all the more affective with the seductive glint in his dark eyes. "I –" He silenced her words with a kiss, one of his hands moved down her side and just barely brushed against her breast. She moaned and arched into him before her eyes went wide as if embarrassed by her own reaction to his touch.

"Shh." He quieted her before she could even get the words out. His hand moved to cup her breast, she gasped. His thumb brushed over the hardening nipple and she whimpered.

"Itachi . . . please?" She wasn't quite sure what she was asking for except that she needed something. Something he could give her. His head lowered, his lips closing over her sensitive tip. "I-Itachi!" She arched into him again, her fingers tugging in his hair. He loved her little whimpers as his tongue swirled around her. He released her breast, earning a moan of protest, and kissed down her body. She squirmed underneath him and froze when he kissed her skin a couple inches below her navel. He moved back to kneel before her, his hands moving to her knees and spreading them apart. She blushed and watched him lick his lips. He studied her, his eyes making a slow journey down her body: From her cloudy grey eyes, to her swollen pink lips, to her breasts and all the way down to her toes.

Itachi moved and was on top of her again, his large frame covering her completely as he rested between her thighs. Rika lifted her head to plant kisses along his neck. The heat building up inside her started to drive her insane. She cried out when one of Itachi's hands made its way between their bodies, stroking her damp heat. "God, _Itachi_!" He removed his hand and she felt him smirk against her breast. Her hips lifted to grind against him, searching for the same pleasure his hand had gave her. She heard him curse and his body tensed. His hands cupped her hips pressing her into his erection. "Itachi!" She begged and fumbled with the ties of his pants until she managed to get them undone and off of him.

"What do you want Rika chan?" He was going to make her beg. Damn him!

She ground her hips against him again, "Please?"

"You have to tell me what you want." He looked in her eyes, hooked her legs over his forearms and she gasped when his cock pressed against her. "This?"

"Yes!" Experimentally she moved her hips forward moaned when the tip of him entered her. His hands gripped her hips keeping her from taking any more of him in, "Itachi, don't be such a tease!" Her sentence was broken up by her panting.

She heard him chuckle and inwardly cursed him, "Sorry Koi." His voice was deep and husky in her ear. He moved forward until he was completely buried inside her. Her mouth parted in a silent scream and her back arched off the bed into him. Her hands fisted in his hair.

Itachi cursed, she was so tight and warm around him, he almost came undone right then. Her hips rolled against him and he started moving again. Slowly he worked himself in and out of her, gently. His name left her lips in a moan with his every movement. He felt her tighten around him and heard her moans turn into screams of his name as pleasure coursed through her body.

Rika was quite sure she had died because surely nothing in life could feel this amazing. Something was building up inside her, something that was fueled by each of Itachi's thrusts. _'So close . . .' _

Suddenly he grabbed her waist, lifted her off the mattress and rolled them over so she was perched on top of him. Rika looked down at him confused and almost growled in frustration when he didn't start moving his hips again. She had been _so_ close. "Itachi?"

He looked up at her and smirked, "You started this Rika chan, you can finish it."

He made her beg for him and then he tells her to finish it herself? A part of her wanted to yell at him and tell him that _he_ was the one who started it but another part of her, the one that was desperate for the release that she had just about received, ignored her first instinct to fight with him. Instead she moved her hands to his chest and slowly pushed herself upwards until he almost slipped out of her and then brought herself back down. She cried out, the new position allowed him to go even deeper.

His hands found hers, his arms bent at the elbow and his fingers sliding in between the spaces of hers as she thrust herself against him. He watched stunned as she rode him, her head thrown back, lips parted screaming his name, the way her skin glistened in the candle light of his room. _'Beautiful . . .' _

Rika shuddered as the pressure that had been building up inside her released. She fell against Itachi's chest, her entire body shaking. She felt his hands grab her hips and keep her moving on him, drawing out her pleasure. She squeezed him tighter and brought him over the edge with her, him, for the first time that night, groaning her name.

A smile made its way across her face, her head nestled in the crook of his neck where she placed one last kiss before drifting to sleep.

* * *

_The next day: Navigation Room. _

"As you all know we've found out the location of Mira's hiding place." Kakashi's loud voice rang out as he addressed the mass of vampires around him. Most of the crew had stuffed themselves into the usually spacey navigation room. "We'll reach it shortly."

An excited murmur ran through the crowd of undead.

"We'll be stopping on an island," Kakashi pointed to a map being held up by Shikamaru so the crew could see it, "near by for two weeks before we set off for the cave to rest, train, and scope out the area. There are unmentionable horrors waiting for us inside that cave. I want us all to be as prepared as possible." Kakashi's expression was grim, he knew that all of the men and woman standing before him now might not make it through the coming days.

"We've been through the general plan millions of times and I have every faith in each and every one of you." He let a smile show briefly. "I ask that you take these next two weeks to practice your abilities. I have no doubt that we'll need it."

The captain received a solemn nod from the crew.

"We'll probably run into a lot of demons, humans, vampire hunters, witches, and anything else you could think of. It's sure to get pretty nasty."

"Bring them on!"

Kakashi chuckled, "At least you're in the spirit."

Naruto flashed a smile from the back of the room, "Hell yeah we are! Believe it!"

"Alright then, your all dismissed."

Sakura turned to her husband and squeezed his hand. Things would be over soon. They had stayed up all night talking about the future . . . well, that is _after _Sasuke had punished her for teasing him the previous day. They decided that once everything was all over that they'd return to his family. Sasuke had said that Kaori, Kakashi, Itachi, and even Naruto and Hinata would probably go back with them. To say she was relieved was an understatement. It was nice to know that she wouldn't loose her friends after Kakashi's crew had disbanded.

"Sasuke . . ." A thought had struck her while reminiscing, "where's Itachi san?"

Sasuke looked down at his wife. He remembered seeing Itachi walk off with that human girl last night. He smirked, "Something tells me we won't be seeing him for a while."

* * *

And there's the end of chapter 33. 

Sorry for the delay in updating, the probable grammar mistakes, and the sucky lemon. 

Okay now you guys have to review, the button is HUGE now. You can't miss it. :)


	34. Where I belong

Hello everyone, I hope you all had a good holiday. Since I'm currently on Christmas vacation I've had some free time to construct another chapter. I'm hopping to finish this story soon. Maybe within this next week and then start work on the sequel, which I have all planned out :) . . . except for a title. . . my mind is going blank on that one. On the last chapter of this story I'll include a summary for the sequel and if any of you have idea's for a title you can submit them then. 

Not much SasuSaku in this one but the story is wrapping up and I needed to get all of this stuff out of the way. 

**Gabriella: **_Nope, your sentences are probably better than mine would be if I didn't have spell check lol. :) _

**candyluver: **_Ahh, it made me curious because I've never read anything with those two as a couple. _

**XxBlackRose02xX: **_Yup, I went to go see it with my friends Devin and Tasha. I thought it was pretty good. I was worried at first because normally when a book gets turned into a movie some of the major parts of the plot are lost or changed but I think they did a good job with sticking, for the most part, to the events in the book and the changes they did do were minor and did make for an interesting movie. _

**Uchiha-Aki: **_I've read a few ItaSaku stories. I liked them but I still favor SasuSaku, I have no idea why. . . but Itachi himself is my favorite character in the series. _

**BOOM-chan: **_Thanks for your patience :) With me procrastinating the way I do I'm expecting some pitch forks soon. . . _

**poket: **_Yup, Sasuke and Sakura are still the main couple but there will be some Itachi and Rika because their relationship is detrimental to a rather nasty plot twist to come with the sequel. :) I'm glad you like Kaori, a lot of people don't like OC's so I'm glad she's being received well. Keiko hasn't been introduced or even hinted at in any other chapters so you haven't missed anything. She's just one of Sasuke's many fan girls back home which Sai calls his "Harem". _

**Romance is Me: **_Haha yeah. I was going to make that chapter just the lemon but then I realized that to anyone who didn't like the pairing it would be a complete waste of time so I added a tiny bit after it. _

**C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only: **_Well, their both stubborn people so it's a battle of who will suck it up and say it first lol. _

**

* * *

**

"Those two are truly impossible." Sakura muttered to Hinata as they watched their husbands fighting, _again. _They had reached the island Kakashi had mentioned within a few hours and ever since they had set foot on shore the two had been at each others throats.

"I think they took Kakashi's recommendation to train a little too much to heart." Hinata sighed as she watched Naruto receive another injury from Sasuke's katana. "You don't think their going to keep going like this the entire time do you?"

"I'll get you this time Teme!"

"Hn, that's what you said the last six times dobe!"

Sakura frowned, "Knowing them, they just might."

"Well not if I have anything to say about it." Hinata scowled, "Uzumaki Naruto!"

"Hold on a minute!" Naruto ducked, narrowly escaping Sasuke decapitating him. "What the hell Teme! You could have killed me!"

"Alright you two knock it off! Naruto let's go."

"Aww Hina chaaaaaaaaaaaan!"

"Now."

Naruto gulped having caught sight of the glare his wife was sending his way. "We'll finish this later Teme!"

"Hn."

Sakura watched as the couple stormed off, a scared looking Naruto following an angry looking Hinata. "I didn't think Hinata could be so. . . assertive." She was sure her eyes were still wide at her friend's rare display.

"I didn't think so either." Sasuke replied, honestly a little surprised.

"Hah, maybe she's pregnant." Sakura laughed but then stopped abruptly as if the idea actually hit her. "You don't think. . ."

Sasuke shook his head, "No." After all there was _no way _the dobe could be having a child before _him_. . . right?

* * *

Itachi grunted and took the hand that was offered to him to help him off of his position on the ground. "You seem distracted itoko. I haven't been able to land this many hits on you since, well . . . ever. Let alone knock you on your ass!" Kaori grinned at her cousin trying to lighten the mood. When Itachi ignored her attempt and merely took his stance again Kaori frowned. _'No comeback? Something's definitely not right.' _Something behind her seemed to have caught his eye and she turned to see what it was. The human girl, Rika. And as soon as he had looked, he looked away. Any thoughts of joking left her and she frowned, "What's wrong Itachi kun?" It wasn't like him to keep things from her. Usually they were each others confidants, even more so than he and Sasuke, probably because she and Itachi were closer in age than he and his brother.

"Nothing's wrong." Itachi's expression of perfect indifference was on again.

"Bullshit." Kaori left her fighting stance and crossed her arms, "Is this about the whole hostage thing?"

"Hn?" The look of questioning on his face had her frowning again.

"Kakashi planned on leaving the hostages here, you know, Rika and that boy. There's a human settlement not to far from here where they could stay, make a home, be with their own kind and all that stuff. She didn't tell you?"

"No, she didn't. Considering she's been avoiding me all day." Itachi didn't manage to conceal the bit of emotion that just barely touched his voice.

"Really? You two looked rather . . . friendly last night." Kaori drew her brows together in confusion.

"She hasn't spoken to me since this morning." Itachi took a seat on a near by stump, seeing that his cousin wasn't going to continue their fight anytime soon.

"He gave her a choice you know." Kaori looked to see she had his attention, "Whether she wanted to stay with us or not."

"What did she say?" The emptiness of his voice scared the female Uchiha.

"Why don't you go and ask her?"

* * *

"Hey Rika!"

The human woman looked over to the blonde running towards her. "Yamanaka san?"

The vampire rolled her eyes, "It's Ino remember? Anyway, you want to come to town with Sakura, Hinata, and I? They volunteered to make sure the boy got there unharmed but afterwards we're going shopping." At the skeptical look she received she continued, "It'll be _fuuuuun_!"

She really wasn't in the mood to go shopping, not that she didn't occasionally enjoy it, but today she had way too much on her mind. Not to mention that she was still a little sore from last night. _That _thought brought all her musings back to her.

_Sorry koi._

Koi. He had called her love.

_Sorry love. _

Why would he do that? Surely somebody like him, somebody who was infuriating, aggravating, handsome . . . all together _perfect _wouldn't, couldn't feel that way about somebody like her. Somebody stubborn, average, dull and all together _imperfect. _

"Hellooo Rika! Are you coming or not?" Ino snapped her fingers trying to get the girls attention that she had lost somewhere along the way.

"Sure Yama- I mean, Ino san. I'll go."

* * *

"Hinata are you sure you're all right?" Sakura questioned her friend who was smiling brightly and humming to herself, a huge change from the angry glaring Hinata of earlier.

"I'm fine. Although . . . I _do_ have a rather bad craving for some oranges . . ."

"Oranges?" Ino looked at her friend like she was crazy. "You're a vampire with a craving for _oranges_?"

"Yeah." Hinata shrugged. "I don't know why though. . . I've always hated them."

"Oh my Kami Sama! You're pregnant!" Ino squealed stopping dead in her tracks causing Rika to run into her.

'_Ouch! Damn banshee.'_

"Ino! Shush!" Sakura smiled nervously at all the people now staring at them. "I thought we were trying _not_ to attract a lot of attention."

"Sorry! B-but she's _pregnant_! With, oh god, _Naruto's _baby!"

"What's wrong with Naruto kun?" Hinata's eyes narrowed into slits.

"Wel-" Sakura covered Ino's mouth and smiled, "Nothing at all."

"Besides," She continued, "I can't be pregnant. I would have . . . seen. . ." Hinata got that far away look on her face that signaled her visions. "Oh."

"I knew it!" Ino cheered, "So what did you see? Boy or Girl? Twins? Triplets?"

Hinata's expression turned into the most loving one Sakura had ever seen anyone give, her hand settling on her abdomen, "It's a girl."

"That's wonderful Hinata chan." Sakura smiled at her friend. Maybe someday soon that would be her with Sasuke's child growing inside her. . . after all, he did say he wanted six or seven.

"Ahem." The vampires looked at the boy who they just realized was still with them. "If its okay, I'd like to go now . . ." The boy had a weirded out look on his face as if the whole scenario of vampires acting so humanly was extremely unsettling to him.

"Uh, sure! Sorry."

Rika watched as the young boy took off, running as if the vampires who had held him hostage would soon change their minds about letting him go and drag him back. They had left him with enough money to take care of himself for a while until he could find a permanent place to stay. He seemed so happy to be leaving, she couldn't really blame him. The young human boy, almost teenager, didn't belong on a ship full of deadly vampires. _'Do I? Do I belong there either?' _She watched family's walking down the sunny streets, chatting and laughing together as if they hadn't a care in the world. Some of them probably didn't. She saw men glancing her way, their looks making her more than a little uncomfortable. Did she belong _here_? Glancing to her left she saw Ino and Sakura smiling at her, Hinata calling out for her to follow them as they headed for a shop near by. Then she realized that whether she was a vampire or not she didn't belong with these humans. She'd never felt like she truly belonged anywhere, except when she was in _his _arms. She smiled. _'I finally know where I belong.' _

* * *

"I'm pretty sure she left for the human town with the boy and some of the girls a little bit ago." Kakashi watched Itachi's face as he took in the news.

"I see." His carefully composed look was in place like it always was so he couldn't quite tell what the vampire thought of what he'd said. _'So she's made her decision and she's not even going to say good-bye.' _For some reason he had the feeling some unseen fist was squeezing his non-beating heart in his chest trying to make it burst.

"On the bright side I've decided I'm staying till you guys are done with your little voyage thing."

"Where the hell did _you_ come from Sai?" Naruto screeched, "And how is that a fucking bright side?"

"Well Dickless –"

"Would you two shut _up_!" Sasuke growled from his position beside his brother.

"Don't you tell _me _to shut up Teme!"

"Shut up."

"_Argh! _Teme!"

"Dobe!"

Kakashi sighed as he watched Itachi walk away from the fight and into his tent. The crew had decided they'd like a brake from sleeping on board and for their stay on the island they were going to camp out. They were all situated in a large circle around the clearing, a large bon fire was burning in the middle of the ring. Itachi's tent being one of the smaller ones towards the far end of the circle near the trees.

'_I hope everything resolves itself soon. I can't afford for him to be distracted when we set off for that cave.'_

* * *

"So how are you going to tell Naruto?" Sakura questioned. They were walking into the ring of tents because they'd finally dragged Ino away from the merchant stands long enough to make their way back.

"I'm just going to say it I guess . . ."

"She'd have to, Naruto's too dense to get it otherwise." Ino snickered causing Hinata to glare at her.

'_Jeez Hinata's scary when she's pregnant.' _

"Good luck."

Hinata's glare turned to a smile, "Thanks Sakura chan."

"Hey, do you guys. . ." Rika started.

"Itachi's tent is that one."

"Um Thanks, Hinata san."

"No problem."

* * *

Rika stopped outside the tent, one hand already on the flap just about to pull it back. _'You can do this. Just suck it up and do it.' _She took a deep breath then stepped inside. He was sitting there on his makeshift bed, his back facing her.

"What are you doing here?" His voice made her stop dead in her tracks.

"Am . . . am I not supposed to be here?"

"Shouldn't you be back with your own kind?"

'_So that's what this is about. I guess I can't blame him . . . I shouldn't have avoided him like I did.' _

"I choose to stay here." _'To stay with you.' _

He was stalking towards her now, his facial expression a harsh indifference that she never wanted to see him look at her with again. "Why?"

"Because I . . ."

"Because you what Rika chan?" His dark eyes seemed to look straight through to her soul.

"Because I _love_ you damn it!"

* * *

"Hinata chan!" Naruto embraced his wife, twirling her around. "I missed you!"

"Naruto kun, I have something to tell you."

Uh-oh. To Naruto, or to most guys, the words "I have something to tell you" were a sign of doom. Not as bad as the words "We need to talk" but still scary. Nothing good normally followed those sentences.

"You might want to sit down."

Double uh-oh.

"Naruto kun. . ."

'_Oh my Ramen! She's going to leave me! I know it! Nooooo! Hina chan! Don't leave meeee!' _

"- I'm pregnant."

'_Noo – wait what?'_

"Huh?"

"I'm pregnant Naruto kun. You're going to be a father."

"Oh." Then Naruto preceded to do the normal grown-up thing any man would do once he found out his wife was pregnant. He fainted.

* * *

And there's chapter 34, wow, I never expected this story to be this long. I'm planning on it being finished by chapter 35 or 36. 

Do any of you have any idea's for traps inside the cave? I have a few good ideas but I was hoping to add a few more, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. :) 

. . . Review! Please? Heheh. . . 


	35. Mira's Cave

The last chapter is finally here. . . I just hope a few of you won't kill me at the end of this . . . heheh. 

**SasuxSakufan: **_Thanks for the idea lol. It may not be original but hey, what's more fun than a giant rolling bolder? _

**angellive: **_There will be plenty of drama with that couple to come in the sequel, promise :)_

**gianna loves SasuSaku: **_Thanks for the idea, I liked it :)_

**Pandastacia: **_Yeah, I was tired of Itachi being that bad guy in SasuSaku stories. Then again I may be biased since he's my favorite character. . . eh. _

**C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only: **_Eventually lol. _

* * *

_The next morning: _

Sakura leaned back against her husband who had just pulled her into his lap causing her to mentally blush. "Sasuke kun!"

His strong arms wrapped around her middle, "What? . . . It's cold out here." She rolled her eyes at his smirk. They were currently situated around the bon fire in the middle of camp, sitting on logs that were rather uncomfortable. According to the sun's position in the sky she guessed it was around seven in the morning.

"Well, the Teme is touchy-feely this morning." Naruto, who was five feet away on another log with Hinata, commented.

"Tch. At least I don't go around fainting like a girl."

"Shut up Teme! It was _one _time . . . and I was surprised!"

"_Suuure_."

"Hinata chaaan."

Hinata looked up from the orange she was currently peeling, "I'm sorry, did you say something Naruto kun?"

Naruto sighed, "Never mind." Stupid oranges. That he had to go out at _two in the morning_ to get.

Sakura nudged her husband, "Leave him alone Sasuke kun." Sasuke 'hn-ed' and pulled his wife closer.

"Don't feel bad Naruto. This one time when we were having dinner with some relatives of mine Kakashi- "The captain put his hand over his girlfriend's mouth. "-I really don't think they need to hear that story." Kaori's reply came out muffled. "Licking my hand isn't going to work. . . Ouch! No biting!"

Rika let out a small laugh gaining the attention of Itachi who was sitting next to her, his arm around her waist.

Things were good. If only they could have stayed that way.

* * *

_Four Days Later: _

Sasuke glared down at his pink haired wife, "Your staying with Hinata. End of story." He wouldn't let her go in that cave with him. He came close to losing her once. He wouldn't do it again. She was going to stay back with Hinata and be safe.

"Both of you." Itachi added looking at Rika.

"Like hell we are." The women had both crossed their arms and were sending out respective glares of their own.

"If you're going then I am to. We're in this together Sasuke, you're not going to leave me behind." Sakura added. Her husband was too stubborn for his own good. "If you haven't noticed I'm not human anymore. I'm not as fragile as I used to be."

Sasuke let out a growl, "Even vampires can die! You're not invincible!"

"And neither are you!" Sakura poked him in the chest with her finger. "Sometimes I think you forget that. Now I'm coming with you and you can't stop me."

"I'm coming too." Rika stated still glaring.

"No your not." Itachi was slowly losing his patience, "It's too dangerous, I won't risk it."

"Isn't it my risk to take?!"

"No!" Rika's eyes widened momentarily. He'd never raised his voice to her before and he instantly felt bad about it. "You're still human Koi." He went on in a softer voice.

"Then maybe you should fix that!" The words flew out of her mouth.

A frown settled over his face, "No."

"Why not?" Her angry look was replaced with hurt for a second before it switched back.

"It's not that easy Koi."

Sasuke nodded in agreement with his brother. "Changing someone is a dangerous process. Sometimes people don't make it through. The only reason I changed Sakura was because if I didn't she would have died."

"What do you mean they don't make it through?"

"When a human and vampire exchange blood it starts a complicated process. Two different kinds of blood are fighting inside of the human. Ideally the vampire blood will overpower the human and the human will change . . . but that doesn't always happen. If the human doesn't receive enough blood from the vampire during the exchange that could cause the transformation to fail also if the vampire fails to take enough blood it could fail as well." Itachi explained. He'd seen it happen before and he never wanted to see it again, especially not to Rika.

". . . What happens to the people when the transformation fails?" She was almost afraid to ask but she knew she had to find out.

"They rise again but neither as a vampire or human. They drool, their skin turns gray and their eyes are flat like those of a corpse. Then, they start to . . . rot." Sasuke avoided all contact while explaining. He'd witnessed the horrible sight just like his brother.

"You mean like . . . like a . . ." For some reason Rika couldn't get the words out.

"Zombie?" Itachi seeing her nod continued, "Yes. Zombies are the product of failed vampire transformations."

Rika stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Itachi's waist, her head nestled against his chest in an embrace that he soon returned. "Just . . . stay here. For me."

"Okay."

* * *

_Three Days later: _

The crew of the _Crimson Flood _gathered around the bon fire for the last time. They had all spent the week training as hard as they could and for the most part they felt ready for whatever tricks the cave could throw at them. All they were waiting for now was the signal from Kakashi.

"Can you see anything?"

"Sorry Kakashi san. The cave must have some sort of magical barrier that blocks out my powers. I can see you all making it to the cave but nothing beyond that. I'm sorry." Hinata frowned. She didn't like this at all. Naruto was going into that cave and because of the risks involved with her being pregnant she had to stay behind _and _she couldn't even use her power to make sure he and everyone else would be okay. Her hand moved to her abdomen, but it wasn't all about her anymore.

"It's okay, it can't be helped. I sort of expected that Mira would find a way to block these sorts of things." His hand reached out to rest on her shoulder, "You'll be okay here with Ino and Rika right?"

"Of course." Hinata smiled sadly. "Be safe . . . and keep an eye on him for me."

"Will do." Kakashi looked over to his crew. "All right everybody, move out!"

Ino grabbed Rika and Hinata's hands as they watched the crew march on, "They'll be okay."

"I hope so." Rika whispered as the last of them disappeared thru the trees.

"You should go."

"Hinata san?"

"There's no use both of us staying here worrying about them. I know Itachi san doesn't want you to go but I think you should. There going to need you. He's going to need you."

"I thought you said you couldn't see anything?"

"I can't, it's just a feeling." Hinata glanced at her, "Go. Before they get too far."

"Thank you Hinata san."

"You know," Ino started as Rika left, "Itachi's going to be pissed."

* * *

The trip didn't take long, even with them moving at human-speed. Soon enough they were before the entrance of the cave. There wasn't anything really special about it. It looked the same as every other cave any of them had ever seen. Grey rock with a dark, damp, gloomy looking tunnel leading into it. The crew had split into sections. Three sections were spread throughout the forests on either side of the cave incase of attack from demons, humans, or whoever else was looking for the cave. The fourth section which included Naruto, Kakashi, Kaori, Sakura, Sasuke, Itachi, Shikamaru, Rai, and Sai, were the ones actually entering the cave.

"Are you sure we're at the right place Captain?" Naruto questioned.

"Yes, why?"

"I don't know it just looks so . . . _plain_."

"Well what were you expecting dobe?" Sasuke sighed, he was ready to get this over and done with before he changed his mind and dragged Sakura back to camp.

"I don't know . . . something _magical_ or awesome I guess."

"Your upset because this cave of, lets face it _doom_, isn't magical looking?" Kaori raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah."

Sasuke shook his head, "Whatever lets just go."

"Wait!"

Everyone looked around and soon enough an out of breath Rika emerged from the trees. Itachi's eyes narrowed, "What are you doing here?" He hissed, "I thought I told you to stay with Hinata."

"She told me to come. She said that you guys would need my help."

"Leave it Itachi. Last time I didn't believe Hinata chan I ended up looking pretty stupid." Naruto added giving the human a smile, "Plus we need somebody to keep you in line anyway."

* * *

"Does this cave ever end?!?" Naruto yelled, his voice bouncing off the stone walls and echoing back.

"It's amazing. It really didn't look all that big from the outside." Sakura commented.

They had already dealt with numerous trip wires, that Naruto had unfortunately found, which trigged crossbows with arrows flying at them, spurts of fire shooting out of the floor at random places in random times, _more _trip wires this time with shuriken, sword fights with charmed suits or armor, and a three headed dog that didn't seem to happy to see them.

"That's magic for you." Kaori laughed dryly, "I'm more impressed that she had Cerberus down here. I'm not even going to think about how she managed _that_."

"I still say we should have turned over the dobe and Sai as bait and left. We could have been out of there a lot sooner."

"Aww Teme, you know you wouldn't have left me for dog food. You'd miss me!"

"Tch. Don't count on it."

"Well look at it this way, it can't get any worse, right?"

"Hah. Don't jinx us Naruto because I'm telling you, it can _always_ get worse." Kaori replied.

"Aaaaaaaaah!"

"What's wrong?!?" Everybody turned to look at Rika who had jumped on Itachi.

"S-spider!"

Itachi raised a brow at her, "You're scared of spiders?"

"Don't look at me like that . . . It was a big spider . . . and their creepy looking." She frowned.

"H-hey guys . . ." Naruto trialed off.

"What Dickless?"

"H-huge spider!" He gulped and pointed ahead.

Sure enough there a huge tarantula headed their way. Who knew that a spider could get big enough to block the entire tunnel?

"Oh shit."

* * *

"I told you not to jinx us Naruto." Kaori sighed pulling her sword out of the giant arachnid.

"Yeah well I didn't think twenty foot tall spiders existed!"

"You learn something new everyday." Kakashi joined in.

"Okay what next? A moat filled with crocodiles?" Sakura sighed leaning against Sasuke.

"I hope not, they tend to be a bit temperamental."

"Gee Sai, ya think?" Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Do you hear that?" Rika asked Itachi.

"Yes. Sounds like rock breaking apart . . ."

"Hey I think I just figured out whats next!" Kakashi called back.

"What?"

"That." He pointed forward towards a giant bolder rolling towards them.

"A giant bolder? Oh wow, now _that's _original." Kaori scoffed.

* * *

"Finally!" Naruto sighed as the reached the end of the cave. Their goal was finally within sight, the only obstacle between them and the medallion now was what looked to be a giant lake and the wall like fence surrounding it.

"Hold up Naruto." Kakashi called, "If earlier is any indication than this isn't going to be that easy. There has to be a trick somewhere. We don't need you rushing in and setting off anymore trip wires."

"Well maybe this giant fence is the trick." Naruto tapped the metal with his knuckle.

"I highly doubt it dobe. The door's unlocked."

Itachi pulled open the door and kneeled down to the water. Slowly he reached out to touch it. "Shit!" His hand was retracted quickly once the liquid started to burn through his skin, "Holy Water."

"What?" Naruto came beside him, "How did she manage to make a freaking _lake_ of Holy Water?"

"She was a witch Dickless. I'm pretty sure it wasn't hard for her." Sai murmured.

"The more important thing we should be worrying about is how are any of us going to get to the medallion? We can't walk through that Holy Water, its suicide." Sasuke stated.

"I'll go."

Itachi turned to stare at Rika, "No you won't."

"I'm the only one who can go. Holy Water won't hurt me."

"You don't know what else is out there."

"I'll have to take that chance."

"She's right Itachi. She's the only one who can go." Kaori rested a comforting hand on her cousin's shoulder. "Nothing will happen to her."

Itachi sighed and picked Rika up into his arms so she was face to face with him and kissed her. "I love you."

"I know." She smiled and pulled away.

Stepping into the water wasn't so bad, besides it being rather cold and it coming up to her waist. She slowly made her way to the middle of the lake where a pedestal held what looked to be a golden box. She looked back and after receiving a nod from the vampires on shore she lifted the lid.

"Well?" Naruto called after her.

Rika's eyes widened as she called back. "It's gone."

* * *

**The end. **

Seriously. That's it. 

I know there are still a lot of loose ends to tie up but I did that on purpose. I promise they will be addressed in the sequel. 

Can any of you guess who got there before them? (Devious laugh)

Now that I bet you're all ready to kill me. . . Here's the summary to the sequel! 

"**With their search for mortality failed, Itachi and Sasuke head back for their home. Immediately it becomes apparent that the Uchiha's had been keeping details about their lives from their mates, very important details. When these details start to put strain upon their relationships, Sakura and Rika run into trouble. Especially with the return of two old enemies, one whose even stronger than before, and both now on the same side working for a common goal, the destruction of the entire "demonic" world." **

Remember I still need help with a name for the sequel so if any of you guys have any idea's after having read the summary please tell me, I'm going brain dead over here o.0


	36. AIDOTD

Hello,

I'm writing this authors note to hopefully clear some confusion thats been going on.

First of all, I'd like to thank all of you who've added this story to story alerts or favorites and to all of you who have reviewed.

But, recently people have still been adding this story to their story alerts and asking when the next chapter will be. I know it's confusing because of the way I ended chapter 35 but this story is **complete. **I have already started the sequel and it currently has two chapters already. If you go to my profile you'll see it, it's called **Among Immortals: Destruction of the Demonic. **

I hope to hear from you all again soon :)

- Yoshikuni-Chiaki


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